


After the Rain

by UNseated4TH



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action, Drama, F/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-07 18:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 51,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1122738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UNseated4TH/pseuds/UNseated4TH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Franky realises that his feelings for Robin are more than just platonic, he attempts to win her over in a series of 'subtle' advances. However, after the pair are separated from the crew by a fierce storm, a charming individual appears. Franky soon finds that this man is far more cunning and dangerous than anticipated. Even worse, he happens to be targeting Robin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Lesson in Subtlety

**Prologue - Humble Beginnings**

He was fourteen years old when he first noticed her.

 The little girl on the wanted poster seemed so small and innocent, barely capable of the mass destruction for which the World Government had labelled her such a threat. Hence, the young Franky felt ever-so-slightly sceptical over these accusations. Nonetheless, it seemed as though the girl was a threat to whatever Tom-san had been protecting for so many years, and misjudging her according to her young appearance would be a foolish risk Franky was not about to take. But there was something about that girl's deep dark eyes. Eyes that the government may have had him believe were the eyes of a killer, but eyes he himself could not help but detect a ray of sadness from within. Whichever the case there was definitely a story behind those eyes, one Franky figured would forever remain a mystery, and probably would not have a happy ending. He felt a small ounce of pity for the girl. She was out there all alone, so young, with no one to protect her from the world…

Franky quickly dismissed these thoughts; the girl  _was_  labelled as a villain after all. He hurriedly downed the last of his breakfast and set out for the shipyard before Tom-san or Bakaberg could scold him for dawdling—it was the rainiest day of the year thus far and the Aqua Laguna was due within the week. Besides, it wasn't like he and the girl would ever actually meet, much less form any sort of relationship. It would be best to keep her out of his mind. But life, as he would later find, often worked out in the most unexpected of ways…

* * *

 

**Chapter One**

The New World was known for its unpredictability. For seas dotted with raging infernos one day and all but iced over the next. For its temperament not unlike that of a wild animal and inhabitants that did equal justice. On these waters, anything was possible. Things far more outlandish and abstract than that of any other ocean, as the Straw Hats had come to learn in their time here thus far. It was no less than what they were expecting. Despite this, there were several occasions in which they would find themselves amazed by what the treacherous ocean would spring on them. In a nutshell, the New World was ideal.

Today was shaping up to be oddly calm. The deep azure water gently lapped against the Sunny's hull as Franky stared out at the quiet sea from the ship's stern. Ideas for a new update to the docking system filled his thoughts while the morning quietly passed. An ocean this calm was rather nostalgic. The shipwright found himself putting thoughts regarding the docking system aside and reflecting. A lot had changed in twenty-two years. His super cyborg body was just the beginning; he was living his dream on the high seas, sailing the ship he'd always aspired to build and travelling with a crew of crazy Nakama whom rivalled even himself in oddness. He opened the fridge in his stomach and withdrew an icy-cold bottle of cola. Life was good.

As of now, said Nakama were spread throughout the ship, engaged in various activities to keep themselves occupied on this quiet morning. Franky sipped at the cola as he turned and made his way across the ship.

He passed Nami, whom sat comfortably in a deck chair flicking through the day's newspaper. So far she hadn't made any comments. Life out in the world was quiet as the ocean this morning, so it seemed. If any mildly interesting story were to develop however, the navigator was sure to share the news. It was useful to have someone aboard the ship who was up-to-date with current affairs, no matter how mundane or boring.

Usopp had spent the morning busying himself down in his workshop, replenishing his supply of Pop Greens. The kid had come a long way in the time Franky had known him. He'd taken the sharp-shooter in as a sort-of apprentice shortly after joining the crew, and had seen his skills in terms of building and innovation improve greatly. It was good to have a like-minded inventor to brainstorm with from time to time, though it was clear that Usopp's greatest skill would always be the accuracy in his shooting. And coming up with ridiculous stories, but that was something else entirely.

Franky descended the staircase, his bare feet meeting the soft turf of the lower deck, where Brook and Chopper were playing a game of chess. Rather, the musician was attempting to teach the doctor how to play. His success was somewhat limited, as the little reindeer continuously muddled the pieces up. It was often amusing watching the oldest and youngest members of the crew interact. Brook calmly corrected Chopper's choice in movements, before cracking some sort of joke. The pair greeted Franky as he passed, and he responded with his usual super enthusiasm.

As Franky continued across the deck, Sanji exited galley behind him, having finished cleaning up after breakfast. The cook withdrew a cigarette from his jacket-pocket and lit up. If smoking had any impact on his health, it had yet to show. Maybe Sanji was so fit that any unhealthy activities he partook in were nullified. He exhaled a puff of smoke, before glancing over to the chess game and muttering a few pointers to Chopper. The young reindeer took the advice, proceeding to eliminate one of Brook's bishops, and causing the skeleton to exclaim that he 'couldn't believe his eyes'.

Having crossed the lawn, Franky ascended the first staircase to the upper deck. Up in the crow's nest, Zoro was lifting weights. It was one of the only things he did, aside from sleep. And of course, getting lost at every port they docked at. Sometimes the swordsman didn't even need to leave the ship in order to become disorientated, though that had happened more often back when the Thousand Sunny was still new. However, the direction of his loyalty was unquestioned, and his position as first mate unstated, yet unchallenged.

And then there was Luffy. It usually wasn't hard for Franky to work out where his captain was. The Straw Hat boy was often heard before he was seen. Franky watched as Luffy charged over from the Sunny's figurehead and bounded across to Sanji, expressing his desire for a snack despite having had a full breakfast not long before. In turn, the cook snapped at him to wait for breakfast to settle, and that he'd prepare something soon. Any complaint Luffy may have had was interrupted when Usopp stumbled up out of his workshop and managed to (intentionally or otherwise) distract him with a fun game he'd just come up with.

Turning from his Nakama's various shenanigans, Franky ascended the second staircase and reached the upper deck. It was here that he finally found the person he'd been looking for.

The little girl from all those years ago stood at the bow of the Sunny, her arms crossed and resting against the rails before her as she tirelessly gazed out to the ocean. No, not a little girl anymore. Nico Robin was no longer a child. She'd grown into a woman since the first time he'd seen her, and an attractive one at that, as far as Franky was concerned. Her long ebony hair tumbled gently in the soft sea breeze, complimenting her features and giving her a slightly mysterious aura, the type she often carried. But her eyes hadn't changed. The same dark eyes that had captured a younger Franky's attention all those years ago were still exactly as he remembered them.

Robin turned from the side of the ship and made her way down towards the lower deck. As she passed, she slipped him the briefest of smiles, and Franky found himself stumbling over his thoughts for moments afterwards. But one thing was clear: Robin was super. After a moment, he returned to the activity he'd been doing earlier of staring out at the calm sea, though this time from the front of the ship.

It was safe to bet he'd never felt this way about someone before. He wanted to express his feelings somehow. This was a slight predicament. It wasn't that he wasn't confident in his own skills; he knew as a fact he was super-skilled, and could probably woo Robin right off her feet if he tried. But he had to do this right. The more Franky thought about it, the more he longed to do it, and sooner than later. Sanji would probably be his go-to guy when it came to such things. Yes, he'd ask Sanji about it, and maybe some of the others. He would then consider their advice and confront Robin.

By the time Franky came back down to the grassy deck, Sanji had retreated to the kitchen. Usopp's distracting game had only lasted so long, and Luffy had reverted to his ever-ravenous state. Franky entered the galley, where he discovered the cook busily preparing some after-breakfast refreshments. Zoro and Nami were also there, sitting at opposite corners of the table, engaged in idle chat. That was alright though. Maybe they'd be able to contribute some advice of their own.

Franky took a seat at the bench across from Sanji and pondered how to word his predicament. He had almost formed the words in his mind, when Sanji acknowledged his presence.

"You look like you need to ask me about something," the cook observed.

"Yes," Franky cleared his throat, quickly glancing over to Zoro and Nami before returning his focus to Sanji. "You seem to know a bit about ladies…" he stated.

Sanji nodded, adding one last sandwich to the growing pile on the plate. "That's correct."

"I was wondering if you could give me some advice. Bro to bro."

Sanji was about to respond, when the door of the galley was violently swung open. "Sanji! Is the food ready yet?" Luffy demanded as he sprang into the room, Usopp in tow.

"Yes, it's there on the bench," Sanji answered, indicating to the plate of sandwiches and stepping out of the way as his hungry captain barrelled past. He turned back to Franky. "You were saying?"

"Well you see, there's this lady I know who's pretty super…" Franky began.

"It's Robin, isn't it?" Nami questioned, her eyes flicking over to him in an intuitive gaze from where she sat at the table.

"I-well-uhhh…"

"So you  _do_ like Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, seeming marginally unsurprised.

"Well… yes," Franky admitted.

"It was kind of obvious, I guess," Zoro spoke up, "The way the two of you spend all that time together. You kept her company the other night during her watch, didn't you?"

" I was planning on staying up anyway…" Franky recalled, "She just happened to be there, so I…" his voice trailed off, noting how a couple of the others (specifically Nami and Usopp) continued to sport knowing smirks.

"No, it's not that hard to figure out," Usopp contributed, "You two went for a sunset walk along the beach last island we were at, didn't you?"

"So it's really that obvious?" Franky asked, unaware that the others had taken such note of his and Robin's minimal exploits.

"Well this is news to me," Luffy admitted, munching on one of the sandwiches.

"As if you'd notice anyway…" Sanji berated him, before returning his attention to Franky. "Now lucky for you, I've come to trust you as a guy who'd treat my Robin-chan well."

"Who are you, her dad?" Zoro questioned him.

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped, "As I was saying, I trust you to be good to Robin-chan and treat her well. So I approve. But how do you plan on telling her about these feelings?"

"Well I have some of my own ideas," Franky said, "But I'm super not experienced in this area. What do you guys think would be the best way to tell her?" he asked.

The gathered crew thought for a moment, before speaking up.

"Try to be subtle," Nami instructed. "Robin is a smart woman. If she hasn't already noticed you have feelings for her, it won't take much to show her without outright telling her. She's very perceptive you know, and would probably like more of a challenge. It’s three thousand beli for that advice, by the way."

"Nami's right," Usopp seconded, "You should drop hints for her. Maybe she'll drop hints as well if she likes you in return."

Franky considered these options with a nod, various ideas springing into his head.

"Be mysterious," Sanji alluded, "Like Nami-san said, she'll notice almost anything. But that's good. Go for something subtle enough so that most people wouldn't notice, but obvious enough for Robin-chan to pick up on."

"Subtle," Franky repeated the ongoing theme, "Right. Got it. I'll be super subtle."

"Will you, now?" Zoro asked flatly.

"Do you know how you're going to do it?" Usopp asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Franky said, "I'll think about it. But I’ll make sure it’s subtle."

Without further ado, Franky left the room to contemplate what kind of super approach he'd use to win over the woman of his affections.

"She already knows, right?" Zoro questioned once the cyborg was gone.

"She hasn't said anything to me about it, but I would be extremely surprised if she didn't," Nami responded. "All we have to do now is wait and see how he goes."

 

* * *

It was late in the afternoon and Sanji had just come by with light refreshments when Franky decided to make his move. Going for an inconspicuous approach, he whistled absentmindedly as he approached the small round deck-table Robin was reading at. He sat in the seat opposite her, taking a brief moment to appreciate how her slender hands elegantly flipped through the contents of the novel she was reading. It was a romance novel he noted, judging by the picture on the cover. How fitting. It would probably put her in the mood for something romantic. And that's where he came in.

He cleared his throat and Robin's eyes met his own in question.

"So…Robin…" he addressed her, resting his chin on his fist.

"Yes, Franky?" she responded.

"Would you ever date-" he allowed a single finger to rise to his metal nose, pressing down on it and subsequently causing his bright blue hair to fan out dramatically, "-a cyborg?"

Whatever Robin's answer may have been, or even if she had time to answer at all, Franky couldn't tell. The reactions from the rest of the crew, who had apparently been listening in, were instantaneous. Before he knew it, Sanji and Usopp each had him by an arm and were hurriedly dragging him away.

"What was that all about?!" Sanji demanded once they'd retreated to the galley in order to escape earshot.

"What was what about?" Franky questioned.

"You may have well just gone straight out and asked if she'd date you," Usopp said.

"Well I thought it was pretty subtle," Luffy said as he stepped into the room and gave a nod.

"Yeah, I think I was subtle enough," Franky said, "It's not like I'm the only cyborg out there. I could have been talking about Kuma."

"Why would she date Kuma?!" Usopp demanded.

Brook entered the room and surveyed the scene before him. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"Franky doesn't know how to be subtle," Nami explained, following the skeleton into the room.

"Yohoho!" Brook laughed at the situation, "I was wondering what you were trying to do back there, Franky-san. I must say, that was a good effort."

"Do you think she knows now though?" Franky asked.

"Do  _you_  think she knows?" Sanji rebounded the question.

"I think I need to try a different approach," Franky said, "I have a much more super idea." And without another word, he exited the room and made for his workshop in time to pass Zoro and Chopper as they entered..

"Robin-chan's the most perceptive person who's ever existed," Sanji muttered, "It wouldn't take much at all for her to know. Especially given how Franky's always trying to impress her with his crazy inventions."

"Those are awesome though!" Luffy said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of the cyborg's wild abilities.

"Especially Franky Shogun!" Chopper seconded.

Nami started at the pair blankly. "But Robin isn't either of you."

"Though while Robin is observant, Franky's the most obvious-in-a-crowd person who's ever existed," Usopp added.

"Then clearly, Robin-san is obviously already aware of Franky-san's feelings," said Brook.

"She was probably aware of them before he'd even developed them," Zoro commented. "There's no use telling him to be subtle about it. If she likes him back, it won't make any difference."

"Franky probably knows she knows he likes her as well," Sanji said, "But this sort of thing isn't his area of expertise," the cook lit up a fresh cigarette, "This is something only he himself can do. And whether or not he's subtle about it is for him to decide, I guess."

"How do I subtly say I'm hungry?" Luffy asked.

"That's the most subtle you've ever said it," Sanji admitted, "I guess I should get dinner started then."

With nothing more to discuss, the gathered crewmembers returned to what they'd formerly been doing.

 

* * *

Late afternoon had transitioned into evening when Usopp entered Franky's workshop to find out what the cyborg was up to. He discovered the shipwright sorting through various items, inspecting a few, and placing them into different piles.

"Ah, so you're going about another approach," Usopp observed, "What will it be this time?"

"Fireworks," Franky answered.

"…Fireworks…" the marksman repeated, realising Franky had been sorting through various different rockets.

"The most super fireworks I have," Franky confirmed, briefly inspecting one of the rockets for faults, before moving it across to the other pile.

"You realise that fireworks aren't a very subtle approach, right?"

"That doesn’t matter; these fireworks will be subtle enough. It’s not like they're going to be spelling out love words or anything like that. Can you pass that one over? The one to your right."

Usopp lifted the long purple sparkler and handed it across to the cyborg, who briefly examined it, before it too joined the ever-growing 'to use' pile. "Do you even know what 'subtle' means?"

"Of course I know what it means! But why be subtle when you can be super?" Franky stood and enthusiastically struck his 'super' pose for added emphasis.

"So it's a lost cause, huh?" Usopp asked, grinning and remembering what Zoro had said about it not mattering either way, "Well I guess it can't be helped then. Ooh, what does this one do?"

"Careful with that!" Franky reprimanded him, quickly taking the flashy-looking explosive and placing it atop the pile.

"What's so special about that one?" Usopp questioned.

"I've been saving it for a super special occasion," Franky responded, "And that occasion is tonight. There're a lot of these to set off. Want to help?"

Usopp shoved all other thoughts aside and felt a wave of excitement bubbling within him. "Help you set off the fireworks? Around the ship?"

"Super right, bro!"

"Y-yes! That would be awesome!"

Several minutes later, Franky and Usopp stood on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, the firework launcher in between them.

"You ready, bro?" Franky asked as he fitted the first of the rockets neatly into position.

"You bet," Usopp responded as he lit a match.

He struck the fuse, and the spark ignited, travelling toward the shell at a steady rate. Once it reached, the entire rocket blasted into the air and flowered in a radiant shimmer of colours against the night's dark sky.

"Nice," Usopp grinned.

"Let's set off the rest," Franky said and the two dispersed.

 

* * *

The sound of crackling filled Nami’s ears and for a brief moment she thought they were under attack. A quick glance out the window proved this false. She swiftly left her quarters and stepped out into the main deck, watching as several bright fireworks lit up the sky. Nearby, Robin was staring up at the sky likewise, the novel she'd been reading clutched limply in her hand—albeit with a few fingers keeping the place—as she stood distracted by the colourful expanses.

A glimpse of the deck showed Nami all she needed to see.  _So this was his next plan, hey?_ she thought to herself, watching Franky set of a purple flower-shaped firework from the opposite side of the Sunny.

"Awesome!" Luffy, and Chopper exclaimed at the crackling display

Amongst the spectacular sights and sounds, Sanji took the opportunity to walk over and stand beside her.

"I guess it was silly for us to tell him to be subtle," Nami said to him, "The problem is Franky's  _not_  subtle."

"So telling him to be subtle would be like telling him not to be himself," Sanji agreed as a particularly large heart-shaped firework expanded in the night sky, causing the nearby Robin to look on just as unreadably as ever. "Though there's nothing stopping the two of us from enjoying it," he continued, inconspicuously weaving an arm over Nami's shoulders.

"Cut that out!" Nami snapped, "If the marines find us, it's all Franky's stupid fault."

"You mean all Franky's ' _super_ ' fault, Nami-san," Sanji corrected.

Nami considered hitting him, but chose not to. The fireworks were quite impressive after all. It was incredibly unlikely any marines would be nearby anyway. Once again, her gaze scanned across to Robin.

The woman seemed mesmerised by the magnificent light show Franky and Usopp were creating. The shimmering sparks glistened in her eyes, reflecting every minute detail of wonder at the performance. This was not her usual blank stare. There was something unique about it; there was a spark Nami rarely ever saw coming from Robin, an added detail she couldn’t place.

"Sanji-kun," she nudged him and indicated to Robin, "I think it's working…"

Robin continued to watch the dazzling sky, before voicing her thoughts on the display. "I hope they don't accidentally blow the ship to pieces."

"…Or maybe not…" Nami concluded with a sigh.

Nonetheless, the show was enjoyed by the entire crew. Brook provided an upbeat tune to accompany on guitar, whilst Luffy and Chopper's eyes reflected the intensity of the entire firework-filled sky. Even Zoro had ceased his dozing in favour of standing by the ship's edge and watching. Several minutes, crackles, heart and flower-shaped fireworks later, Franky and Usopp had run out of stock, and consequently finished their show.

As the crew returned to what they'd been doing, Franky approached Robin. "What did you think of the show?" he asked her.

Nami noted the way the corners of Robin's mouth threatened to tilt up into a smile. "Very original," she responded, reclaiming her seat and flicking back to her place in the novel.

Franky may have been about to say something more, when Luffy's voice pummelled the ship from the crow's nest. "Island!" he chanted, rocketing down to the deck and landing rather inelegantly atop Zoro. "Prepare for adventure!"

 

* * *

The next morning proved bright and cloudless, ideal weather for exploring. The island’s name was Tanium. Robin disembarked early with Nami to explore the its facilities, and Luffy left with Brook and Usopp shortly afterwards. Franky himself did not go ashore until just before midday, leaving Zoro to his training routine up in the crow's nest. Chopper and Sanji had gone into town together to shop for supplies.

It had been close to midnight by the time they'd docked, so not much could be seen. Now however, the day was at its brightest. The town was quaint and unremarkable, much like the fine weather. Also like the weather, it was a relaxing break from all the crazy misadventures of the previous islands, a break Franky hadn't even known he'd wanted until now.

After about an hour of wandering the town (and proudly discovering it had a Sea Train station), his path crossed with Nami and Robin’s. They were by the town hall, on a slope that overlooked a second bay and port, around a bend from where the Sunny was anchored.

"Hello, Franky!" Nami greeted him, " We were just at an information centre. Did you know that there are two islands around here? It turns out these are twin islands," she indicated to a smaller form just short of the horizon, "That’s  different island. It’s only connected to this one by a long waft. An ancient civilisation used to thrive there, the ancestors of the people who live here today. Robin is really interested."

"It sounds fascinating," Robin said.

Under more deliberate inspection, Franky noticed the bridge that stretched across the water linking the two islands. It seemed as though it was primarily used for fishing docks and small huts set up on the water, however a narrow section continued onwards and appeared to intersect with the other landform.

"I still have more shopping to do though," Nami said, "And I’d like to go to the resort pool afterwards…"

Catching on to what Nami was doing (now  _that_ was subtle), Franky nodded and Nami formulated some excuse for needing to return to the Sunny to do something, offering to take a shopping bag Robin was carrying back with her. Robin accepted, and soon Nami was pacing back to the ship to dump the day's shopping, leaving Franky and Robin alone.

Franky didn't mind in the slightest. "Are you going to explore that island?" he asked Robin.

"Yes," Robin said with a smile, patting at a narrow shoulder bag hanging from a long strap along her left arm, "I have a notebook with me, so I'd like to go there and record some of the information I find."

"I'll come with you," Franky offered, "You know, to keep you company so you don't go getting bored or anything like that."

Robin laughed. "I can assure you that I won't be getting bored."

So he'd just be getting in the way if he came along? Franky felt his heart sink a little.

But Robin hadn't finished. "Though if you were to join me, I couldn't succumb to boredom even if I tried."

Franky wasn't subtle at all in hiding his joy over Robin's willingness for his company. "Super!" he approved victoriously, causing—to his utmost pleasure—Robin to chuckle.

Within half an hour (which included meeting Brook and telling him where they were going, and buying some lunch to take along), they easily located the opening of the bridge and began their walk to the opposite side. It stretched onwards for a couple of kilometres, with a few narrow offshoots leading to small ports or boathouses along the way, as Franky had seen from the hilltop.

They exchanged in various small talk as they walked. From the ruby red ribbon Robin had purchased earlier and was now wearing to tie back her hair, to an incident involving Brook's fear of ghosts and an unopened jar of ginger flakes  just the other day.

However, the closer they advanced on the other island the more Franky noticed a certain discomfort in his company. Robin had begun showing minor signs of physical unease. She transitioned the strap of her bag from her left shoulder to her right and kept rubbing at a space just below her shoulder blade. She wasn't saying anything, nor was she making her actions obvious.

Whatever it was, Franky could tell it was causing her some degree of pain. "Are you alright?" he asked eventually.

Robin glanced up at him and quickly hid her surprise with a vague smile. "I'm always alright," she responded.

"I can tell something's bothering you, Robin."

"Only slightly," she responded, "There's nothing to worry about. An old scar. That's all it is." Sliding down the thick strap of her singlet top, and pulling at the material slightly, Robin revealed a thin white scar just below the base of her shoulder blade.

Franky frowned at the blemish. "What happened there?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Robin didn't respond for a few moments, though lost in a memory, "It's an old scar… I haven't really shown anyone before, but I guess it hasn't bothered me like this in years. Maybe it's something to do with the weather today…"

Franky noted the way the subject seemed to make Robin slightly uncomfortable and his frown deepened. This wasn't super at all. "Is there something I can do to help?" he asked, "I'll carry your bag for you."

Robin smiled but shook her head. "It will pass," she said simply, as she readjusted the singlet strap over her shoulder, “I’ve lived with it for years, after all.”

As curious as he was, Franky chose not to question any further.

“It was the closest I ever came to being captured by someone before the CP9 incident…"

Franky took a fleeting look at her, noting how her eyes seemed to be staring far out to sea, lost in a memory. Robin had been on the run since she was eight. Franky had occasionally thought about close encounters she may have had prior to them meeting. About all the nights she would have spent alone, all the times she'd had to resort to drastic measures in order to survive… sometimes about occasions she may have been caught or come close to. Robin was stealthy. Stealthy from experience. It was experience that had made her so good at slipping under the radar. In order to gain that experience, she had to have learned lessons firsthand. And as often as he’d though about these things to himself, never had he heard much about them from Robin firsthand. Perhaps she was opening up to hm.

"It's a reminder," Robin said, her hand lingering on the scar, "Of the time I completely stopped trusting…" she removed her hand from the area, placing it instead on her bag strap. "I was nineteen, and still the slightest bit naive as it turned out. I met someone… too nice… and I was foolish."

Anger simmered at the prospect of someone hurting Robin in such a way, "Who?" Franky asked, "That bastard…"

"It doesn't matter now," Robin said, "He was a bounty hunter who only got the best of me temporarily. He's long gone."

Their conversation was interrupted by their timely arrival at the far side of the bridge.

"Ah, we're here," Robin said, looking out over the smaller sister island.

This side of the bridge was old and weathered from disuse. A few steps were missing in the descent to the ground. Franky stepped down first, the meter-and-a-half high ledge barely an obstacle for him. He turned and assisted Robin down.

"Thank you, Franky," she said as her feet met the ground.

Franky responded enthusiastically, but Robin seemed far more interested in exploring the ancient now that they were here. She was already heading for a large stone structure near the edge of a forest, ready to study it.

It was an ancient artefact suspended in time. Based on the markings decorating its surface, Franky guessed it to be some sort of sundial-like invention. Nearby was what appeared to be a stone tablet, perhaps once a tile from a floor or wall. It looked to have been freshly dug up, likely by other archaeologists, and discarded beside the much larger structure.

Franky watched as Robin studied, handling the artefact with utmost care and respect, before gently placing it back the way she'd found it and turning her attention to the larger artefact, briefly skimming over it, before returning to her starting point and studying it again in more detail.

"This tells a story," she said, "The people who very first lived here several millennia ago…" She pulled out her pen and notebook and began scratching down information she interpreted from the markings, reading aloud what she could translate as she went.

Franky barely understood most of what she was saying, but the passionate conviction in her eyes and posture was enough. He sat and watched her work until she was satisfied, and they headed further into the forest in search of other structures. At some point, Robin pulled out two small lunches from within her pack, and she and Franky sat by a small lagoon on the forest floor to share them.

Afterwards, Robin explored for another hour before she packed away her notebook and set her bag back on her shoulder. "That will do for today," she said, satisfied.

"Nice work, Robin," Franky congratulated her with a thumbs-up, "I bet you uncovered some super interesting stuff."

Together, they began making their way back to the mainland.

 

* * *

Nami stretched in her deckchair and stood, walking over to the pool. After leaving the shopping bags at the Sunny, she'd opted to change into her swimmers and head to the swimming pool the resort on the island offered. She wasn't the only one. Chopper and Luffy splashed about in the shallows nearby, as a seemingly snoozing Zoro kept a watchful eye over them from the shade.

She reached the water just as Sanji twirled over to her. "Nami-swan~" the cook fussed, "What would you like for dinner? I've bought a lot of fresh new ingredients to make dishes with!"

"I don't know," Nami said, "How about you make what you want, Sanji-kun? I'm sure that would be fine."

As Sanji proceeded to coo over how kind his Nami-san was, a sudden change in the direction of the light breeze probed at Nami's senses. Looking up at the sky, she frowned. There weren't any clouds at all in the clear, blue expanse. To anyone else, the day appeared as fine as it had been over the past few hours. But Nami knew better.

"What is it, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, ceasing his twirling and noting her sudden change as easily as she'd noticed the weather's.

"Are Robin and Franky back yet?" she asked him.

"I don't know," Sanji responded, "Why?"

"A storm…" Nami muttered, "It's coming, fast."

Sure enough, dark clouds appeared upon the edge of the horizon. Had Nami not familiarised herself with the weather of the New World, she never would have believed the speed at which the black canopy rolled across the previously perfect plane.

Almost instantly, the light breeze became a blowing gale, and Nami had to grab hold of a nearby post in effort to avoid being bowled over.

 

* * *

"The weather's closing in," Franky observed the dark clouds that had appeared on the horizon, "At least it was nice while it lasted."

Robin looked out at the swelling sea and over to the main island. "Let's hurry," she said.

They hadn't made it far along the bridge when the perfect weather made an abrupt change. In little more than the blink of an eye, the dark clouds consumed the entirety of the pristine sky, covering the sea and islands beneath in shadow. The wind accelerated to an unbelievable speed against them, causing Robin's long hair to fan out behind her and the ribbon to flap furiously as she held the rail of the bridge for support against the sudden gust. But it wasn't dying down.

The waves came next. Being where they stood, the monstrous white water crashed mercilessly against them, and they were drenched in a matter of seconds. Soon it was almost impossible to travel along the bridge in either direction. And like the wind, the sea was not relenting.

Franky grit his teeth at the largest wave yet loomed ominously over them, rolling closer and closer to impact, like a living entity hunting them down. The height of this wall of water was far greater than that of the bridge, which suddenly felt extra small and flimsy in comparison. As the crest of the wave broke, it was almost as though a giant sea foam hand was reaching out to crush them. Franky quickly took hold of Robin as she grabbed onto his right arm, and he protectively encircled her body with his left. No matter what came next, he would not let go.


	2. It Takes One to Know One

The sea was a wild mess of crashing waves and rushing currents while a bombardment of wind and rain frenzied above the water's surface. It was angry and unrelenting, pushing and shoving against any solid body it clashed with. The sheer contrast to the calm, unbroken stillness of the ocean until moments prior was somewhat unnerving.

In the midst of the persistent storm, Franky held Robin close and did his best to maintain their position on the ocean's surface. The narrow section of the bridge they'd been standing on had been destroyed by the destructiveness of the wave, sending them both into the now turbulent ocean. Franky clung to a single plank of debris, helping Robin hold onto it in further effort to keep her afloat, although given the circumstances he wasn't sure if it was helping. There was little he could do right now that could counter the ferocity of the raging sea. Robin was his top priority, and he fought against the strain of the waves to keep her head above the water. The storm counterattacked with equal ferocity. But Franky had taken on the ocean several times before. It was only a matter of time; they would wait it out.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before the ocean settled somewhat, almost as suddenly as the storm had. Evidentially, the New World wasn't to be taken lightly. Even with all their experience on the Grand Line, they'd been taken off guard.

Tucked into one of his robust arms, Robin coughed, her weak grip folded over the plank of deteriorating timber. "We…  didn't drown…" she choked out eventually.

Franky sighed in relief. She otherwise seemed okay. "Of course we didn't!” he responded, “I super wouldn't allow that."

"I know," she replied, unsuccessfully attempting to sweep her drenched hair from her eyes.

Franky released the smaller mechanical appendage from the hand on his free arm, proceeding to brush Robin's long dark hair back over her shoulder.

She muttered some variation of thanks, slumping slightly between him and the plank of wood, the ocean having sapped most of her energy.

Within minutes, the dark clouds had vanished, and if it weren't for the fact the pair were now bobbing out in the ocean it would be hard to tell that there'd been a storm at all. Now they faced an entirely different predicament.

"Now what?" Franky wondered out loud.

"Hopefully there aren't any sharks," Robin voiced.

"If there are, I'll blast them away," Franky promised, "Or they could help us get to land…" The sky was darkening, but the sea was calm compared to the typhoon-like conditions from just a moment ago. With a quick look around, Franky was able to gain a clear image of their surroundings.

There was nothing of the island, Tanium, in sight. Treading the deep water, he turned to see if there would be anything more on the other side of the horizon. He squinted, noticing a large form in the near-distance.

"There's an island," he announced as he indicated to the shape.

Robin shifted slightly against the driftwood. "Is it the one we were swept from?"

"I'm not sure."

How far had this storm taken them anyway? At any rate, their best bet would be to reach the dry land and work out their situation from there. So Franky propelled them toward the island at as fast a speed he could muster, watching it slowly grow in size as they approached.

The closer to the island they drew, the more apparent it became that it was neither Tanium nor its twin island they'd recently been on. This was an entirely different island.

Much of the landscape was a coastline of beach with semi-dense forest deeper in. Further away, an empty port and a few docks indicated the existence of a town. However, Franky chose the most direct route to the dry land, and before long they reached the shallows.

By now the driftwood was falling apart by the second. Franky held tightly to Robin, knowing that her current support would not last much longer. Being tossed about in the sea during a storm wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone, least of all a fruit user. As the driftwood deteriorated, Robin's dependence of Franky's support increased. Soon her reliance on the driftwood faded all together, and the splintered remains of the section of bridge sadly bobbed away as Franky wordlessly took her into his arms. His feet soon struck the seabed and he began wading through the water towards the shore.

"You know, this might not be so bad a situation," he said, his feet sifting through soft, wet sand, "At worst, we've been swept to a neighbouring island. We’ll find a town and contact the others. Then we can probably find our own way back."

"We can't have been taken far," Robin pondered, shielding her eyes against the setting sun, "There weren't many islands in this area from what I recall. There was a sea train port Tanium, wasn’t there? Perhaps there will be one here as well. We can catch it to get back to the others."

The thought of riding aboard the sea train with Robin—being able to share with her in the something so personal, that had been such a defining part of his life… good times and bad—seemed greatly appealing to Franky. That being said, it wasn't like they'd never been on it together before… The sea train brought many memories for Franky.

But the fact that it was now in use here, in the New World, made him incredibly proud. He was sure Tom would be proud as well. Tom’s actions had done more than just save Water 7, after all. The idea of travelling in the sea train with Robin under non-dire circumstances was something Franky longed to do some day, and he was sure Tom would be happy for him…

And while Franky may first have seen Robin on that bounty poster over twenty years earlier, Tom had been the first person Franky had heard speak of her. Yet he’d never been able to meet her. What would he think of the  _real_ Nico Robin? It was on the  _Puffing Tom_  that Franky had discovered the woman he'd lived wary of for so many years was nothing like the monster the world had been lead to believe in. She was scared. A broken person who’d finally given up on running and believed her very existence was something that warranted punishment. It was then and there that Franky had cast aside any and all expectations he may once have harboured.  Just like himself beneath the tough cyborg exterior, she was so _human._

In the time since then, he'd grown to know her. He knew her dreams and aspirations… her insecurities… her questionable sense of humour and the soft spot she had in her heart for children… her favourite leisure reads, the way she liked her coffee…

Tom would approve, Franky concluded.  _He would super approve._

With each step, the water became more and more shallow. It wasn't long before it barely reached Franky's knees, and soon he was striding through the white-water of the gently breaking waves. After this, it was a short way out of the water altogether and onto the island itself. Stepping over the debris line, they finally reached dry land.

Robin let out a relaxed sigh, likely glad the ocean was now behind them. Franky was glad also. That was certainly enough salt water for him for a while. He continued walking further into the island, in the general direction he'd seen the port in while out at sea. "I wonder what the storm was like back on the island for the others," he said, "Hopefully there's some way we can contact them, they'll have no idea where we are otherwise…"

Aside from a rather notable two-year-long incident, they hadn’t been separated from the crew quite like this before. Sure, there'd been times when he and Robin had been apart from the others, but they'd always been on the same island. What would the others be doing now? The storm had come so quickly, Nami probably didn't even notice it before it was too late to properly warn everyone.

Sensing his thoughts, Robin spoke up. "The others will be fine," she assured him, "Unless wind from the storm blew down a tree and flattened them."

The crew would no doubt be wondering where they were. Knowing Luffy, their captain wouldn't be worried but rather trust the two to look after themselves and each other in times of danger. Even with this in mind, Franky wanted to make contact with the crew as soon as possible to assure his bros that all was well. From what he knew, the Log Pose would take a few days to set. Perhaps he and Robin could make their way back themselves. Otherwise they would simply wait for the crew on this island for a few days… together… "We'll find the others," he voiced, "Or they'll find us, at least. They've got the ship."

"That's right," Robin confirmed, "We just need to wait."

"Just you and me…"

Robin's eyes met his own and Franky drew to an immediate stop. Every part of his being had been captivated by that piercing gaze in an instant. He’d been momentarily paralysed, and all that existed was her. Those dark, distinctive eyes had always had an effect on him. "Franky…" Robin began, her striking gaze not failing to take his breath away.

He felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest, reminding him he was a cyborg, he was also human. "Y-yes, Robin?" he stammered.

He thought it would be impossible for someone to become any more attractive, but then she smiled and he found himself once again amazed by how simply she could correct him. What would she say next? Would she tell him that he was super? Had his subtle advances from yesterday worked?

However, when Robin formed her words, they were different to the possible ones Franky had been hopefully anticipating. "We're not in the water anymore," she informed him gently, "I think I'm alright to walk on my own now."

"Oh," Franky noticed, realising he'd been carrying her the entire way. He gently set her on her feet, but waited a moment before withdrawing his hold entirely. She was a little pale from the recent storm encounter, but seemed to be fine and recovered otherwise.

Within a few moments she was walking alongside him as they continued toward the town, their feet scuffing the white sand. As they walked, she pulled at her now saturated shoulder bag in dismay. "The information I gathered will be wrecked."

"Can you salvage it? Franky asked.

She shrugged. "Maybe, but there's not much I can do about it now. I should be able to recall most of it."

"At least we got out of that unscratched."

"That's correct," Robin said, "If it weren't for you, I would have drowned out there."

"Well you know," Franky dismissed, "You're not exactly able to swim, are you? What else was I supposed to do?"

The pair walked up along the shoreline as the sky darkened with the sinking sun. It would be night soon. Franky looked out over the water, noting the way it reflected the early stars. Robin followed his gaze, also taking a moment to appreciate the sight of the sky slowly fading into view. Places like these were among the best spots for stargazing. Next to the grassy deck of the Sunny, of course. Nothing beat a view of the night sky in the middle of the ocean, aboard his dream ship.

Tearing his gaze from the sky, Franky looked back at Robin. Even now, her clothing dishevelled, her hair a mess—the upper pretty red ribbon was now around her wrist—she still took his breath away more than any night sky ever could. It wasn't just the sight of her though. It was everything about her. It was the rare, but true laugh she would exhibit on odd occasions. It was her patience, her love and passion for her profession. It was her impeccable wit and diligence. It was her re-indulged will to live, her love for her Nakama.

It was so… _super_.

"Do you think the islanders will be friendly to our sort?" she asked him.

Franky shook back his senses. "It’s too early to tell, but I don't see why they wouldn't be," he admitted.

In the distance, numerous lights glinted and promised the presence of a town-full of people. In a place this size, there would have to be a means of easy travel back to the island they'd come from. Or a way to communicate, at least. And a place to stay for the night.

"We'll just have to go in and see for ourselves."

The lights flickered brightly against the darkening sky as they approached what must have been the outer-border of the town. A long lagoon spilled out from the ocean, forming a river that ran immediately before the village, almost like a moat. A sturdy bridge connected the beach with the town. Franky and Robin crossed side-by-side, though he noticed she was a little apprehensive to be crossing a bridge again so soon. Nonetheless, it was necessary in order to reach the town. So she remained in consistent step beside Franky, observing the village ahead as it came. It looked pretty lively from what they could see so far. The kind of town, Franky mused, that he wouldn't at all mind spending a few days in with Robin.

They reached the other side of the bridge and stepped off the platform. The pavement was cobbled, and the stones retained the heat of the sun from the day. Obviously the storm hadn't reached this place. A quick glance around told them that the village was quite an active place, even after sunset. Many of the town's residents were out bustling about the night life. A few market stalls were set up along the cobbled path selling daily goods and merchandise. Upbeat music reverberated from the open window of a fancy store. All in all, the atmosphere seemed friendly. Franky and Robin wandered along the road together, taking a few moments to observe their surroundings. Franky noted the architecture of the surrounding buildings. It was a little strange; many of them seemed to be of alpine structure, which was odd, given how warm it was. Perhaps the island's winter season was a large contrast, but buildings a little further along were different again. They seemed newer, and were more suited to the warm climate. A couple of timber huts on stilts stood alongside the road, their large windows open and beckoning in a breeze.

Even with the questionable selection of buildings in mind, there was something odd that Franky couldn't place. He looked down to Robin, attempting to read her facial expression, yet she betrayed nothing but mild interest to the town's character. She was a difficult woman to read sometimes. He loved it.

"This town sure is busy," she noted, as they side-stepped a cart full of produce that barrelled past.

"You’ve got that right," Franky agreed, watching as the cart was swivelled over to an empty-looking store to replenish its merchandise.

They walked further towards the town's centre, catching a few odd stares as they went. Many of the townspeople regarded them cautiously as they continued their evening's business. Franky guessed they stood out a bit, having just been washed ashore by the storm. Of course his outlandish body was probably partially to blame for this as well. Robin was a lot better at remaining undercover than he. They neared the centre of the town, where a large water feature stood in the middle of a shopping square. It was about the size of a small lake, and likely as deep as one too. A pair of bridges crossed over it, one spanning from east to west, the other from north to south. In the centre was a magnificent fountain, reminding Franky vaguely of Water 7.

This was a super town, he concluded. He intended to have a bit of a look around, but resolved that they could do that later. Right now, they had a few things that needed priority.

"Should we try here?" he suggested, indicating to a nearby tavern.

Robin shrugged. "It's as good a place as any."

The two entered through the door, an overhanging bell ringing in the process and alerting the man at the counter. He was a broad and gruff man, roughly a head taller than a door, with a face that seemed to do a disappearing act into his turquoise-coloured beard. As of now, he was carefully polishing a delicate tea set, and regarding his potential customers through a narrowed gaze.

"What ya want?" he demanded as he obsessively polished a fine, floral tea cup.

"Do you have a Den-Den Mushi we can borrow, bro?" Franky inquired.

"What?" the gruff man questioned, looking them both up and down, "Get washed ashore or something?" he laughed at his own words.

"Yes, actually," Robin answered him.

The man stopped laughing and stared at them in momentary surprise, before resuming his composure. " I'm not sure what I can do for you, there aren't any den-den mushi here that reach beyond the town… Assuming whoever you wish to contact is on another island, of course."

"There isn't?" Franky questioned.

"Do you know a way we may be able to contact someone on a nearby island then?" Robin questioned, "Also, is there a place we can stay, at least for tonight?"

"We're at full vacancy at the moment," the innkeeper replied, "But I may be able to clear some space in one of the cellars if you need to stay somewhere. We have high tea and poetry recitals every second night, if you're interested."

"I'm not very super on tea," Franky admitted, "Is there any way we can contact our Nakama though?"

"You don't like tea?" the man asked, "In that case, maybe you're more of a coffee person? Or tropical juice? We have a bit of that here. Perhaps some good old ale? I can bring some down to the cellar if you like."

Franky frowned. Like they'd have cola anyway. Besides, this innkeeper wasn't very cooperative, and Franky was sure Robin wouldn't want to stay in a cellar. He was about to respond, when the sound of the tavern door swinging open along with the ringing of the bell once again filled the building's interior.

"Is there a problem here?" a crisp voice asked.

Franky and Robin turned to see the new entrant. A man stood in the entryway, his black hair swept back from his face and tucked beneath a fashionable charcoal-coloured hat, showcasing his grey eyes. A dark, stylish suit and overcoat complimented his impressive stature and contrasted the pale complexion of his skin.

"G-Governor Itzal…" the innkeeper stammered.

The man, Governor Itzal, took a few more steps into the room. "I was informed there were some new arrivals sighted out on the town," he said.

"I’d imagine that would be us," Robin said.

Itzal's eyes glanced over to her, lingering for a moment, before looking to Franky. "In that case, welcome to Oculto Island," he said with a smile, bowing sightly.

As Itzal straightened, Franky sized him up and down, noting his stance, his composure, the movement in his arms… "You're a cyborg," Franky concluded.

Robin quickly looked up at Franky and then back at the Governor, her eyes narrowed as though trying to pick up on any of the cyborg-like features.

"Very articulate," Governor Itzal replied, now  taking in Franky's build, "Though I suppose it takes one to know one, doesn't it?"

Franky beamed. It wasn't often that he came across another cyborg. To do so was a rare, but cheerful occasion. "Super right!" he chanted, striking his super pose.

Unfortunately, the other cyborg was not so flamboyant. Governor Itzal stared on blankly as Franky held the pose for a few seconds, before turning to Robin once again. "What brings you to this island?" he inquired.

Franky returned to a normal stance, grumbling.

"We were caught up in a storm," Robin explained, "We were originally staying on a neighbouring island, but the storm washed us here."

"Oh, is that so?" the Governor questioned, "Yes, there was a storm out as sea earlier. It missed us. They often do. We usually get the rain though… People arriving here having gotten lost in a storm is a fairly regular occurrence, actually. I would offer you an immediate ride back to where you came from, but as far as I know there won't be any boats or ships departing this island for a few more days. There's no connecting sea train here either."

"Maybe the others will come and get us," Franky said to Robin.

"I should warn you that this island is not one that registers on the log pose," Governor Itzal informed.

“That’s strange,” Robin remarked.

“You get that sort of thing sometimes in the New World,” the Governor stated, “Though islands that are undetected by the log may be among lesser strange things.”

"That will make it difficult for them to find us," Robin noted, "That's alright, we can wait for the next departing ship. In the mean time, there’s got to be a way we can contact them…"

"You can't make any normal Den-Den Mushi calls from this island as of yet, unfortunately," the Governor said.

"We've heard."

"However, we have some excellent courier pigeons you can use. They won't take long to get the message to your Nakama."

Robin shrugged. "That's better than nothing," she said, "Whatever is necessary."

"In the mean time, do you have a place to stay?" the Governor asked.

"I offered them one of the cellars," the innkeeper beamed.

"Very generous of you," Governor Itzal commended him, "However, I think elsewhere may be more suitable," he turned back to Franky and Robin, "You're welcome to stay at my manor until you've made some arrangements."

"At your manor? Really?" Robin inquired.

"Until you have all things sorted and are prepared to leave Oculto Island, yes."

"Is that really okay?" asked Franky, "Because that's super nice of you."

"I often offer a place to stay for lost travellers like you, I have plenty of space," Itzal dismissed, "Now come along, I'll show you the way."

Muttering a brief farewell to the innkeeper, the three exited the tavern and departed out into the night. As they walked back a similar way they'd come, Franky noticed a few of the stalls closing down for the day. Others showed no sign of shutting, their merchants bragging loudly into the night of their goods and wares, trying to rope passers-by into a transaction.

Robin's voice alluded into his thoughts as she asked the Governor about the island's history. Franky noticed the Governor had lent her his coat.

"Our settlement here is fairly recent, actually," Governor Itzal responded, "This town was founded by myself and a few others merely a decade ago. Since then, many travellers have come by and decided to make it their home. You'll find that there's no poverty on this island either. Our residents are supplied with all they need."

They strolled further back the way they had come, but suddenly turned off to the left just before reaching the bridge. The Governor led them away from the main bustle of the town, across another bridge and past a few decadent houses. Franky would have taken more time to look around, but Itzal's pace was fast and he didn't want to fall behind. There would be plenty of time to explore later, he reminded himself.

From here, they passed into the territory of the town's wealthy. Lavish buildings lined either side of the street, extending back several yards. Elegant water features were illuminated in front gardens, and spiralling flowerbeds scattered around them.

Eventually, they reached the end of the boulevard. Here stood the most impressive of the estates. Situated at the end of the road and in the centre, its splendour made the other dwellings seem pale in comparison. Franky knew that against the now-dark sky, the building wasn't done justice. Neither was the land around it, and he was willing to bet that most of the island was property of this man, Governor Itzal.

"This was the first permanent building on the island," the Governor informed them whilst the gates in front of his manor smoothly slid open for them.

As they approached the rich wooden double-door, Franky took note of the building's steeply-sloping alpine roof and four-paned windows. He admired the way the architectural structure had been executed, making it both sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. It truly was an excellent construction; normally when Franky looked at even some of the best structures, he could still notice minute flaws. If there were any in this building, he couldn't see them. Perhaps the dim light was hiding any that were there.

Once they passed a gushing fountain, the front doors to the manor eased open, revealing a small party of manor staff waiting to welcome them. Entering the building, Itzal had his hat taken for him, whilst other staff fussed over their new guests.

"Housing some more lost people, are you sir?" a maid questioned as she took the coat Robin had borrowed and handed her a fresh towel, despite the fact the archaeologist had almost entirely dried off by now.

"For the time being, yes," Itzal responded to her, "Until they've made their own arrangements and sailed away… now, about contacting your Nakama…"

"I'll write them something now," Robin decided.

"Very well. I will have a pigeon take it when you're finished."

Franky waited as Governor Itzal led Robin into a nearby room, where he supplied her with a pen and paper. Robin quickly scrawled enough information for the rest of the crew to understand their situation and handed it back to the Governor, who passed it to the maid with instruction to take it to one of the courier pigeons.

"How will it know where to go?" Franky asked.

"Oh it will, trust me," was the response, "Now I beg your pardon, but I've been terribly unhospitable. I haven't even asked your names yet."

Franky glanced over to Robin, unsure of how to respond. They were wanted pirates after all. However, Robin's demeanour was strong and confident, and she spoke without hesitation. "Robin."

"Such a lovely name," Governor Itzal commented, before turning his attention to the other cyborg.

"Franky," he supplied without fuss.

"Well then Robin, Franky, pleased to meet the both of you. I'm sure you'd appreciate a place to rest, let's get to that right now."

Over the next few minutes, they were ushered down a long corridor and up a flight of stairs as the Governor lay down a few basic housekeeping rules and meal times. "There are a few places in town that do good food if you want to go out," he said, “But all three meals are supplied here seven days a week, and members of the community—as well as yourselves—are welcome to come along,” he concluded as they approached a wide door. "Ah, we're here. This here is a living area you may share," he said, walking them into the spacious yet cosy living room, complete with a (given the weather, unneeded) fireplace. "You'll find ladies quarters down the hallway on the right, and gentlemen's' straight ahead. They each have their own bathrooms, so you may wash up. Dry clothing will be here by the time you're finished."

"You are very kind, Governor Itzal," Robin commended him.

"Just Itzal is fine," he insisted, smiling at her, "And you're most welcome. If you need anything else, just let me or one of the manor staff know. I will see you tomorrow." And without another word, he left them on their own.

Franky glanced around the living room. The warm fireplace sat in one of the far walls, already in use for them. In the corner stood a tall bookcase, packed with a range of paperbacks.

Meanwhile, Robin busily unloaded the contents of her still-damp shoulder bag, laying them out before the fire to dry. Sure enough, ink had washed messy trails throughout the notebook, rendering much of the contents unreadable. She next withdrew the novel she'd been reading out on the deck the day before, when Franky had made his not-so-subtle advance. The printed ink had not run at all, but the pages were in danger of being easily torn if left the way they were. Much like the notebook, she lay it out on its spine, allowing the heat of the fames to warmly radiate over it. Finally, she untied the length of red ribbon from around her wrist. She placed it over a small, low-hanging rack nearby, Franky vaguely noticing the twirling of the red strip of material somewhat resembled the markings on the pale cover of the novel. Satisfied, Robin hung the bag from the same rack as the ribbon, and stepped back. After a moment, she turned to Franky and spoke. "I didn't know you could tell a cyborg just by looking at them," she said, "Itzal doesn't have any visible outward modifications at all."

"They're all on the inside," Franky explained, "You can see in the way he moves, he's had some of his internal organs replaced with something. Also, I think one of his legs is entirely artificial. His left hand as well, maybe."

"I'm not surprised you can notice that sort of thing," Robin said, "I wouldn't know anything about that. Aside from what I've learnt from you, of course."

Franky quickly looked back at Robin. Was she… impressed? She then turned away, so he couldn't read her facial expression. He looked back to the idle flames of the fireplace, "Well he was right, you know. It takes one to know one."

Robin gave a small laugh.

Franky loved the sound. And he wanted to say let her know. "Robin," he began.

"Yes?"

Words were lost to him. "Umm… uhh… Well… It's nothing. I mean, it’s not nothing… but… I—I forgot what I was going to say."

"Maybe you'll remember by tomorrow," Robin supposed. She turned, making her way in the direction of the women's quarters. "Goodnight, Franky," she bade him.

"Goodnight, Robin," he called after her, "Have super dreams."

He waited until she was out of sight and he'd heard the sound of her door closing, before taking a seat opposite the fireplace. He watched as the flames glowed and twisted atop the firewood. After about ten minutes, a maid arrived to drop off dry clothing and supplies and left a few moments later. Briefly, Franky looked over to the bookcase and wondered if there was anything worth reading, but didn't act on this curiosity, instead staying where he was seated. He remained in the living room a long while more, watching the shapes the flames made as they slowly dried Robin's belongings, the soft red ribbon flickering promisingly all the while.


	3. An Island that is Hidden

The sun rose early on the island, emerging as an orange glow through a gap in the curtains of the room. Franky rolled out of bed, noticing the fresh pair of clothes that had been supplied for him sometime in the night. As it was, he was wearing the set that had been left out for him earlier so that his own clothing could be properly dried, but he'd choose his super speedos over pants any day, and today was no exception.

He arrived in the common area and found that Robin was already there. She was clothed in a freshly-supplied set of clothing of her choice; a light summer dress featuring a soft floral pattern which highlighted her eyes. Her hair was swept into a pony-tail, held in place with the fine red ribbon. It was difficult to take his eyes off her.  _C-cute…_

"Good morning, Franky," she greeted him with a smile.

He quickly and enthusiastically responded. "Super morning to you, Robin! Did you sleep well last night?"

"I did," she responded, getting up out of her seat, "Itzal dropped by a moment ago and said that breakfast is ready and waiting. Also, he wants to take us to the harbour afterwards to see when the next ferry will be coming."

Franky had no objections; the day would best be spent doing something productive. They could work out a means of returning to their Nakama, whilst exploring the island and spending time together. It was a win-win situation.

"Alright," he affirmed.

Together, the pair exited the common room and made their way out into the hallway they'd come down the night before. Franky took a moment to glance outside. From the paned windows of the manor, he could tell that the morning's weather was warm and the sky was clear. Excellent for their plans.

The hallway led to a rather large and impressive dining room they'd glimpsed he night before. A few of the villagers had even gathered, evidentially invited along to breakfast by the Governor. They eyed Franky and Robin curiously as they entered, but mostly stuck to their meals.

Franky took a seat beside Robin and they were free to help themselves to a selection of dishes that were laid out on the table. This was probably just what he needed in order to express his feelings to Robin. A few days spent in one another's company. Just enough time for him to win her over through his own means…

He watched as she delicately took hold of a pitcher of fruit juice, proceeding to pour in into a fresh glass. She then selected a few pieces from the assortment of dishes laid out before them, adding them to her breakfast plate, before she glanced across to his.

"Are you going to eat?" she asked, indicating to the empty plate in front of him.

"Huh? Oh, of course," Franky snapped to attention in such a hurry, he accidentally knocked the pitcher from the table. It fell to the ground with a dull clatter, its contents spilling out over the marble floor.

The other occupants of the large table turned their collective attention to the source of the sound as Franky awkwardly stooped under the table to retrieve the pitcher, a servant hurrying by to clean up the mess. As he straightened up, he was pretty sure he noticed Robin hiding her laughter.

The rest of the meal proceeded uneventfully, and within the half hour, Robin and Franky were heading into town with Itzal.

"The harbour is on the other side of town," Itzal said, "There's a boathouse there where we can organise transportation to the island your Nakama are at. The island you were anchored at was Tanium, am I right? The one with an abandoned sister island? I would assume so, as those are the only other islands within a hundred kilometres from this point, and I can't imagine the storm could have swept you any further than the twenty-kilometre distance."

"That's correct," Robin confirmed.

"No problem then," Itzal said, "All we need to do is find when the next ferry bound for that direction will be departing."

They crossed the bridge from the night before and set foot into the village, which was bustling with morning activity. It looked different during the day. The buildings simmered with the light of the sun, and all up the atmosphere seemed livelier. The air was fresh with ocean breeze and the scent of freshly baked bread from a nearby patisserie.

They walked along a channel of water, passing a few people net fishing as they went. Itzal explained the area was good for lobsters and other such varieties. Franky watched as a young woman tugged at the strings of a medium-sized net, pulling up three or four crayfish as she did. "Most of the produce is sold at the markets," Itzal said, "Though I don't doubt they'd keep some of it to feed themselves."

Robin began to talk about an old legend she'd read regarding such fishing practises. Franky listened on intently as Robin explained how the fishers would have to be careful when setting up their fish traps, otherwise they could damage the equipment or lose a limb.

"Your historical knowledge is brilliant," Itzal commended her once she'd finished.

"I'm glad you found it interesting," Robin responded, amused by his response.

Franky couldn't help but notice the way Robin smiled after receiving the compliment. He chose to ignore it, however. She was just happy to receive the admiration, that was all. He focused instead on the various sights the town offered alongside the fishing channel.

It was a considerable distance to the boathouse by foot (it was located on the coast whilst Itzal's manor was close to the island's centre), but it was an enjoyable journey nonetheless. Eventually, they rounded a bend and the boathouse and harbour entered their field of vision. Franky recognised it as the port he'd seen whilst swimming to the island the day before. Being located on the edge of town, the boathouse was the most costal structure on the island. It was decently-sized as well, large enough to house about three  _Sunny_ -sized ships, and also had plenty more space within the harbour that surrounded it.

"Before we enter…" Itzal began once they'd had time to take in the setting, "I'll let you know that the gentleman in charge of this boathouse a little on the loopy side."

"How so?" Franky questioned.

"Well not in a bad way, I guess…" Itzal admitted, "We are long-time acquaintances, and I've come to know him as something of a friend, if you're willing to call it that... He has a few screws loos, is all." As they approached, a plume of green smoke shot out of an opening in the ceiling and Itzal muttered something along the lines of  _'up to his usual tricks'._

The man at the boathouse was of a jolly variety, standing and greeting them as soon as they entered. He was relatively short, barely reaching Itzal's shoulder, though seemed to have a copious supply of soft muscle. His hair was short and the colour of glowing charcoal. Perhaps it  _was_  glowing charcoal. It was kind of hard to tell.

"Itzal, my old friend!" he exclaimed, taking the cyborg in a vigorous handshake, "Long time no see! What can I do you for today?"

"Hello there, Ernest," Itzal returned the greeting, "Just quickly dropping by this time. I've been occupied with the usual business as you can imagine."

"Oh yes, yes, I understand," Ernest replied, nodding his head so vigorously, Franky wondered if it would pop off. The boathouse keeper then turned to him and Robin. "Oh hello there! Some new faces, I see. Friends of yours, Itzal?"

"These are Robin and Franky. They were caught up in a storm and washed ashore yesterday," Itzal explained, "They have Nakama waiting for them on Tanium Island, though seeing as our Oculto Island is not detected by a Log Pose, it may be slightly difficult for their friends to find us."

"I see," Ernest acknowledged, "I think there's something I can do about that. Will you be happy to catch a ferry back to Tanium?"

"That's the idea," Robin responded, "It's still a few days before our navigator's log pose sets anyway, so it would be best if we could return to them rather than them coming to get us."

"Alright, I'll see what we can do…"

"Do you have a ship headed to Tanium soon?" Franky asked.

"Unfortunately you've just missed it by a day. It will be back in within the week, however," answered Ernest.

"Nami said the log would take less than a week to set," Robin said, "So there's probably still a few more days on that end as well. Perhaps we can meet them back at Tanium and continue our journey from there."

"In that case, you're welcome to stay at the manor as long as you need," Itzal offered.

Robin thanked him with a smile and turned back to Ernest. "By the way… How do ships find their path back here if it's not detected by the log?" she asked.

"We have an assortment of vivre cards set throughout the island," Ernest explained, "It is required that each ship venturing out holds a stock of these cards so that they may find their way back."

"A good strategy," Robin commended, "Though I hope none of the out-going ships lose their card and sink."

"Thankfully that has yet to happen," Itzal supplied with a laugh.

* * *

Another storm rolled in during the afternoon. A torrential downpour drenched the entire island within a minute of the first storm cloud appearing, though the sudden change in weather wasn't surprising given their position on the Grand Line. Looking out to sea, nothing could be seen but the grey blur of cloud over wild water. It was hard to believe that yesterday they'd been in that. They were better prepared this time, though still slightly caught out by the storm's suddenness.

A few hours had passed since they'd left the boathouse and parted with Itzal for the day. The two had since explored much of the town together. However, it hadn't quite gone as Franky had envisioned. Robin had barely spoken at all over the course of the day. When asked about it, she'd simply brushed it off with a smile. Perhaps she was tired. Nonetheless, even if the silence was an uncomfortable one, she herself didn't exhibit any signs of unease, and that was the most important thing. Franky had tried livening her up of course, through his usual vibrant means. But evidentially Robin wasn't in the mood today.

And now, as it rained, they stood in further silence. Franky glanced beside him to where Robin was. They were standing together beneath the shelter of the awning of a shopfront, the structure's sturdy frame supplying the adequate shelter they needed. He noted the way the droplets sat in her hair, light from the nearby store shining off them like tiny crystals, and the way here eyes seemed to glow, despite the weather around them.

And her hand, so close to his…

He could reach out and take it now if he tried. It would only be a small movement, given how close they were. It wasn't as simple as it sounded, but he could do it… he  _would_  do it, yes. He would count backwards in his head from five and then he would release the smaller hand from within his palm, and take her hand in his own.

_Five…_

He would do it. He would definitely do it.

_Four…_

How would she react to it though? She'd accept it, right?

_Three…_

He wouldn't know until he tried…

_Two…_

The small opening in his palm prepared itself. Now or never…

_One…_

"Ah there you are!"

Franky quickly retracted the smaller hand back into place and turned to see Itzal walking towards them in the rain, a vast umbrella held up over his head, keeping the water from soaking him through. He caught himself frowning at the man's timing, but it wasn't as though there was anything he could do about it. It had been entirely unintentional.

"Good afternoon, Itzal," Robin greeted him as he joined them beneath the awning.

Itzal folded his umbrella as he reached the shelter, several water droplets running down the material and off the tip, to the ground. "Good afternoon," he said in return, "It's gotten rather wet, hasn't it? Has your day been enjoyable otherwise?"

"Yes," Robin answered.

"Have you any plans for tonight?" he asked.

"We haven't decided on anything," Robin told him.

"In that case, why not join me at the manor? There will be a few more guests tonight as well, if you'd like to socialise."

Robin's eyes lingered on Itzal for a moment longer than Franky had expected, and he wondered what was going on in her mind. "We'd love to," she said eventually.

"Yes, that would be super!" Franky agreed, despite thinking otherwise.

"It's settled then," Itzal said, "Why not accompany me back now? It will be evening soon, after all."

There was no way for Franky to object, and all Itzal's questions and offers seemed to be aimed at Robin anyway, which she accepted. Franky didn't mind. So long as Robin was happy, he would be too. However, he was detecting something odd about her. As Itzal held out the umbrella to accommodate her through the rain, he noticed it again. But what was it?

The walk back to the manor felt longer than the journey into town that morning. Probably because of the rain. The umbrella Itzal had brought along was not big enough for the three of them, thus Franky had insisted he didn't need it and that he wanted to take a look at something else in town anyway. This wasn't entirely the truth; there was nothing else he wanted to see in town at this moment in time. He simply stood and watched the figures of Robin and Itzal as they disappeared towards the manor. Robin hadn't objected at all to him not coming along. In fact, if Franky could have guessed, it seemed almost as though she  _wanted_ him to stay back for a while. As though she  _wanted_  to spend time alone with Itzal. She was a lot more talkative with him as well… He shook the thoughts away. It wasn't super at all, and he was probably way off.

For a few moments he loitered in the rain, watching people as they passed, until he decided it was about time he returned to the manor. He could ask Robin if anything was up later.

The rain was still heavy, but it wasn't as bad as earlier. It was only water, after all. As he continued, the rain falling on him ceased. It must have eased off, he figured. Until he realised that around him it was still raining as heavily as before, and yet he wasn't getting soaked through… Looking upwards, he noticed a large hand arching over from his back, blocking out most of the rain almost as successfully as any large umbrella would have done.

"Robin…" he said, though was sure she wouldn't hear him; her and Itzal were probably nearly back at the manor by now.

When he'd wanted to hold her hand back there, this hadn't been exactly what he had in mind, by any means. And if anyone in the town saw him, they'd probably give him weirder looks than usual. But Franky didn't mind. He wasn't sure what Robin was up to at the moment. Maybe she'd let him in on something later…

* * *

Franky barely had a chance to speak to Robin during dinner, however. Itzal had invited a number of guests over, all of whom seemed interested in individually speaking with the island's two new arrivals. Franky found himself endlessly questioned about things regarding his life on the  _Sunny,_ though didn't mind answering without too much detail. He decided he'd approach Robin after dinner instead; it would be difficult to ask her anything with all these people around, especially when the two of them had been seated at almost opposite ends of the table.

He couldn't help but notice how close she was seated to Itzal. She wasn't right next to him, though she may as well have been, with the amount of time the pair spent locked in conversation. Franky didn't often catch what they were talking about due to the hum of other conversations taking place, but when he did catch a word or two, it seemed to be on subjects he himself had, at most, limited knowledge concerning. Things Robin would often tell him about, that he couldn't contribute to, so would only listen and silently appreciate the quiet passion Robin held for those things she talked about… but now there was someone who understood…

Itzal seemed equally mesmerised by Robin's wealth of knowledge for subjects in her field, and was able to contribute a great deal of his own knowledge on such topics. If he were to speak with either of the two, it would be Robin. He only seemed to speak to Franky over incidental things, which didn't range any further from requesting he pass the bottle of wine ('don't knock it over!' he added jokingly).

It wasn't until dinner—as well as a rather prolonged musical recital by one of the other guests—had finished that he and Robin were finally alone again. They walked side by side back to their quartes, the long corridor lit up by the fancy ceiling lights.

Franky had been rethinking his plans for this island. Perhaps he would have to try a different approach; things weren't going the way he'd imagined, after all. He still hadn't yet properly expressed his feelings to Robin. He had resolved that anything 'subtle' might not work. Robin would only play along… but maybe that was what needed to happen, for now at least. The umbrella she'd made with a large hand—that had been subtle, right? Seeing as Robin had made a move, Franky decided it was time he tried something subtle too.

Racking his mind for something he could say or do, he finally came to a conclusion. "It's romantic, isn't it?" he asked.

Robin glanced over at him. "What is?"

"This island," Franky answered.

Robin looked as though she were about to smile. "I'm not quite sure what you're saying."

"What I'm saying, is that two people could discover hidden super feelings for each other while staying here. Like, though could fall in love… don't you agree?"

Robin didn't respond for a moment. It seemed as though she had tuned out. She gazed distantly out a wide window as they passed, and then back in the direction they'd come, before once again looking ahead as they continued back to their quarters. "Perhaps," she murmured.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Itzal… he's quite different to anyone I've ever met," Robin whispered.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she dismissed, "It's just that Governor Itzal…he's a very intriguing person, don't you think?

"Uhh…" Franky hadn't thought much about it, other than the fact the other man was also a cyborg. "Yeah, I suppose so." Robin seemed super interested in him. But how come? "You're not falling for him, are you?" he asked before he could stop himself, just as they arrived at their quarters.

Robin actually did smile this time. "Of course not."

Trying is best to be completely convinced, Franky followed her inside.  _No…_ he dismissed. Robin wasn't falling for that man. That would be ridiculous. He was paranoid, that was it. But he couldn't deny that when she spoke about him like that it certainly seemed as though she'd taken more than a liking to him. He needed to quit thinking like this; it wasn't super of him at all. He resolved that he needed to go for a walk. He voiced his intentions as Robin took a seat

"Alright. Enjoy yourself," Robin encouraged him, picking up the novel she'd been reading and opening to where she'd left it. "Don't get torn apart by a forest animal."

"You're happy to just sit there reading?" he asked.

Robin nodded, not looking up. "It's one of my favourites," she explained.

"I'll probably see you later then?"

Robin remained in the common room by the fire, reading her novel, briefly muttering her farewell to him as she turned a page.

Soon Franky was outside, this time in the cooler evening air much like the night before. He pulled the jacket firmer around his shoulders. For such a warm summer island, the nights were cold in comparison. He paced down the wealthy boulevard, soon reaching the large bridge that transferred him into town. He then came to a halt. Where would he go from here? He shrugged and continued, letting his feet take him in whichever direction.

Things had become complicated. When they'd washed ashore on this island, Franky had thought it would be the ideal setting for them to spend a few days together, yet something wasn't right. The more he thought about it the more he realised there was definitely something off about the way Robin was acting, and it had nothing to do with him being paranoid. Had he not known her at all, he would have completely fallen for it. Had he known her less, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything about her behaviour. Often, Franky was able to deduce a lot of people based on their actions. It was small, but there was something strange about the way she was acting. As always she was nearly impossible to read, even for Franky. The way she regarded Itzal… What was up with Itzal anyway? That guy and his hospitality…

Franky sighed, resolving not to think too much more on the subject. That's why he'd decided to go on this walk after all. Perhaps he really wasreading too much into it. And alright, he  _was_  paranoid. This combination was making him see things that weren't there, and jump to false assumptions.

It still didn't explain why Robin was acting considerably distant. Had he annoyed her in some way? Franky honestly couldn't think of anything, and then of course there was that moment earlier when she'd shielded him from the rain despite being far ahead of him. That really hadn't been a necessary action, and yet she'd done it for him…

He was over thinking. That was all.

He was well into the town by now. The sky was completely dark, yet there was enough illumination around him that he could easily see where he was going. As he continued, he realised what was strange about the island: there were no children. Given that it was now late at night, there wouldn't be any out anyway. But throughout the day, he'd seen none. On most islands, there would be quite a few. Franky would often impress them by flaunting some of his super abilities, but he hadn't done that at all on this island. Why weren't there any children? They hadn't been taken away by someone like at Punk Hazard, had they? But no, the island's citizens seemed far too relaxed for that sort of thing. He would have heard something about it if that had been the case.

There was something else as well, but he couldn't quite work it out.

Eventually, he found himself at the boathouse again. A light was still on inside, indicating that Ernest was yet to retire home for the day. Despite what Itzal had said about him being 'a bit loopy', Franky had taken a liking to the man. He walked around the harbour, stopping for a moment to inspect some of the older vessels lined up in what must have been a repair port. Rust encrusted much of one of the ship's metal foundations. It likely couldn't sail much more in this condition, which was probably why it was anchored here, so close to port.

He decided to drop by and give the Ernest a visit. He could probably use a bit of company after all, and they could talk about ship-building. Wandering over to the boathouse they'd entered that morning, Franky pushed the door open.

"Sorry, we're just closing!" Ernest greeted without looking up when the bell above the door sounded.

"That's super OK, bro!" Franky said, preparing to exit again, "I'll come back tomorrow."

"Ah Franky, m'boy," Ernest said, having looked up, "How are you doing? Are you enjoying your stay at Oculto?"

"It's not bad," Franky answered honestly.

"Your missus is back at the manor, I guess?"

"…My missus?"

"You know, the pretty lady who came in with you today? Robin, was it? Or is she not your missus? Pardon my assumption, the pair of you seemed a lot like a couple," he said with a laugh.

"We do?" Franky questioned, trying to hide his joy over hearing such words.

"Enough so for me to think you were," Ernest laughed as he offered up a seat cross from him, which Franky accepted. Ernest's laughter faded, as did the lantern light, casting dark shadows in his face. "But now for more pressing matters," the atmosphere suddenly seemed to change with his demeanour, "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"I felt like going for a walk," Franky responded.

"Is that so?"

"That's right."

"Nothing's troubling you? Not confused by this island? Not searching for answers?"

"Uhhh… just taking a walk tonight."

"And you just happened to end up here?"

"What can I say, I'm a shipwright."

"That you are, son. Take a seat."

Franky saw no reason not to do so.

"How has the Governor been treating you?" Ernest queried once his guest was seated.

Franky shrugged. "Itzal? Well he's given us a place to stay for now and doesn't seem to expect anything in return. So pretty well, I guess."

Ernest chuckled and fumbled at his desk. "Sounds about right."

The two sat in silence for a few awkward moments, before Ernest finished fumbling with whatever was on his desk and turned back to Franky. "This island has always has a way of showing things for what they are," he said, "'Opening one's eyes', if you will."

"Huh?"

"Things aren't always what they first appear to be."

"Such as…?"

"Well for a very literal example, this place is actually a winter island," Ernest revealed.

"What?" Franky thought of the bright, warm weather they'd experienced so far, "That's ridiculous!"

"Indeed. But it is the truth. If you were to drill deep enough into the soil, you would soon find that Oculto bears a striking similarity with both you and the Governor."

Franky thought for a moment. There had been an additional strange feature about the island he hadn't been able to figure out. But it was clear now. "It's a cyborg," he realised.

"As such, the island won't be acknowledged by any normal log pose," Ernest continued,

"Furthermore, there are several incubators set up all around the island located beneath the ground, that are efficient enough to change the climate of the entire archipelago. You're wearing a jacket right now, aren't you? That's because the island's incubators aren't as strong at night."

While the prospect was odd, it did answer a few questions.

"Originally this place was a small wintry dot, rarely ventured to. About ten years ago, Governor Itzal found it and decided to claim it as his own. Now at the time, it wasn't very liveable. A natural wasteland, unseen by the rest of the world, avoided by any sailors who may have passed nearby. Itzal however, saw something in this place no one else saw. To him, this icy wasteland was full of promise and potential. The first thing he set himself about was stabilising the place."

A high-pitched whistling sounded from the next room and Ernest quickly excused himself to retrieve a kettle. After offering Franky a cup of tea (which he declined) and filling a cup for himself, he continued.

"I believe the Governor managed to access some specialised and advanced method of terraforming. He gave the place a stable coastline, beaches, solid ground. He allowed a few of the water-spots to remain, which are the rivers and lakes you see today. At this point, the island was advancing, but it still had a winter climate... You might have noticed the architecture of some of the older buildings. Those are the types of buildings you'd imagine to find in cold climates, wouldn't you?"

Franky nodded in affirmation, "The roofs are slanted so the snow cans slide off instead of building up." It was a basic technique.

Ernest took a sip of tea. "By this time, Itzal had installed various magnetic contraptions into the island's soil, rendering it untraceable by the pull of a log pose. As a result, our only visitors are people who've gotten lost. Some of them… many of them… stay here, under the watch of the Governor. It's a dark void to the rest of the world. Virtually non-existent. No one notices us, so we can do as we please."

"Robin and I won't stay here though," Franky resented, "We have Nakama to return to… Staying here for more than a few days was never our plan anyway."

"Well of course not," Ernest responded, "You're catching the next satellite ferry out to Tanium, right?"

"That's the plan," Franky said with a nod.

"Then you need not worry yourself too much over the state of the island. However…" Ernest stood and began to cross the room. "No matter how convincing and amazing a job Governor Itzal does to cover it, the truth will always manage to reveal itself in some way. Observe," having reached the other side of the room, he drew open a curtain, revealing a glass tube encasing a tree a lot like the ones Franky had seen about on the island. "This is a small incubator, displaying how the weather on this island works, though obviously on a much smaller scale. When you arrived here a few minutes ago, the tree was like any other on this island, but I switched off the incubator. What do you notice about it now?"

Franky took a closer look, now noting how the tree didn't seem to be in the same condition as the others on the island. Its leaves—which otherwise would be luscious and green—were turning dark and wilting. The tree was gradually freezing up.

Once he was sure Franky had taken a good look, Ernest switched on the incubator once again. "The tree will be back at its original health within the hour," he said, "But I find it's an effective demonstration of this island's true climate. Should this preservation not be maintained, the island would slowly regress back to its original climate."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Franky asked.

"Because," Ernest warned, "It may mean something to you in the future. You need to be careful. You're playing a dangerous game by being here."

* * *

As Franky made his way back to the manor, he pondered what Ernest had told him.

So what if Itzal had transformed the climate and made the island into a cyborg? That took super skill, Franky had to admit. And of course the island's original climate would take over should the summer technology not be consistent. That was nature, right? But what the island's artificial climate had to do with the its lack of civilians younger than their twenties, Franky could only guess. And he guessed it had nothing to do with that at all, save for the fact the island was made predominately of lost people. Though he wondered all the same.

And what was that deal about 'playing a potentially dangerous game by being here'? Franky shrugged. It made no sense. Ernest was slightly loopy after all, so they said. So  _Itzal_ said.

But there was nothing to be concerned about (not that he was concerned at all). Besides, he and Robin would be out of here in a few days time, resuming their voyage with their Nakama. Everything would go back to normal. At any rate, Robin seemed to like and trust Itzal. Though why hadn't he said anything about the island actually being a winter archipelago? Again, Franky could only guess. Perhaps he'd told Robin about it in one of their many discussions. Franky resolved to put the conversation with Ernest, as well as any thoughts regarding Itzal and Robin out of his mind and return to the manor for the night. It was getting late.

By the time he returned to the common room, Robin had already retired to her quarters for the night. The room was again silent as it had been the night before.


	4. The Red Thread

The weather this morning was not near as picturesque as yesterday's. The afternoon's rain had lasted well into the night and was still lingering now. Franky watched from the common room, the wind causing the rain to stream across the window in long streaks as it fell. Beyond the forest and town the ocean appeared wild, much like it had been the evening he and Robin arrived.

Despite the weather, he was feeling specially super. He didn't let what had happened (or what hadn't happened) yesterday get to him; today he was feeling completely rejuvenated. Maybe it was because today was the start of a new week—a particularly super week, judging on the way he felt. The cola was helping as well. He'd managed to get some in town yesterday, and it would probably last him for the rest of their stay. He'd even relit the fireplace with his  _fresh fire_.

Movement from behind proved that he wasn't the only one up so soon after dawn. He turned in time to see Robin slip around the corner, shrouded a dull-coloured dressing gown.

"Super rainy this morning, Robin!" he greeted her, beaming and striking a pose, "We might need to stay indoors unless we rejoin with the others today."

He did not overlook the subtle way her tired eyes lit up upon seeing him, not the way she chuckled afterward. He loved it when she did that. Even more so when he was the cause of it. He loved it when she was happy.

"You're up early," she noted over the hum of the outside drizzle.

"So are you," he responded.

"Not really," she shrugged.

He knew this was probably around the usual time she got up. Robin was a morning person after all. And a night person. How often did she actually sleep anyway?

He remembered nights where he'd had the second watch, and at some point about half way through, she would come and sit beside him. Together, they would silently watch the sun rise. He made sure to return the gesture whenever he could.

"Have you heard from the crew yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," Robin replied, "Either way, they'll reply to us or we'll head back over to them. Whichever comes first."

Franky nodded his agreement, though figured the latter would be more likely.

"It's turned rather cool, hasn't it?" Robin said as she warmed her hands by the fire.

Franky remembered the conversation he'd had the night before with the boat keeper. "Yeah, about that…" he started.

"I wonder what Itzal's up to today," Robin muttered, stretching slightly, "He mentioned to me that there was a large library in town. Presuming we're not rejoining with the others today, I'd like to visit it with him. I needed to speak with him about something…"

"Robin…" Franky began.

Her eyes trailed over to his. Knowing he had something to tell her, she awaited him to continue.

"When I was walking last night, I ended up at the boat house. I had a conversation with Ernest…"

Robin listened as Franky proceeded to tell her all he'd discovered. "So this island is a like cyborg? " she asked once he'd finished.

"Yes," said Franky, "I knew there was something odd about this place. He put some sort of magnets in under the ground so that this island could be invisible to a log pose. I think it would be easier if we went back to Tanium ourselves and met the others there."

"That would make sense then…" Robin muttered.

"So Itzal has told you something about it?"

"Not really," Robin replied, "It's not a conversation that has come up. Although yesterday he did say something about the weather changing, but that's to be expected in the New World."

"Have you noticed anything strange about him?" Franky questioned, "I know you don't really know him well enough to notice anything like that, but he talks a lot more to you than he does to me. Has he said anything… I don't know… suspicious?"

"No," Robin responded, "Is there any reason he should?"

There it was again. Robin was acting odd. She of all people was one to doubt the outward intentions of others and withhold her trust until it had been earned.

"Is everything okay?" Franky asked, only now realising his concern when he spoke it aloud.

Robin tilted her head slightly at his question. "Why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

"You're trusting this man too easily," Franky said, "Even after hearing what Ernest said… you've trusted him from the start. It isn't like you."

"I never said I trusted him," Robin responded, "Having said that, he seems very genuine. Maybe the reason he hasn't mentioned the island's unusual modifications is because it's none of our business to be concerned with. He's said that Ernest could be irrational anyway, even with good intentions."

Franky sighed. This approach wasn't getting him anywhere. "I just keep getting a super uneasy feeling about all this."

"Franky, we have no reason to worry," Robin assured him, "You say that being too trustworthy isn't like me, but worrying isn't like you. Nothing is going to happen, and we'll be back with the others in a couple more days at most. All this will be behind us."

Franky decided to leave the conversation there. He didn't want to argue. Robin was right after all, he was looking too far into it. He felt a little better after talking to her as well.

A knock sounded at the door and a housemaid entered in to let them know that they could come down to breakfast whenever they wished.

Franky glanced at the wall clock. It was barely half past six, an early start for breakfast. It had been around two hours later that he and Robin had gone down the day before, though the breakfast had probably been out for a while already. Some of the breakfast's attendees must have had fairly early starting jobs, he figured.

After another uneventful hour or so, Franky and Robin went to breakfast. There were a different crowd here from yesterday, probably because it was an hour earlier. Itzal accompanied them into town afterwards (each of them had an umbrella this time), animatedly telling Robin of the library as they went. Franky listened in too. He'd probably find something that met his own interests there, by the sound of it. Not that they were talking about something that overly interested him right now; just like yesterday, they were locked in discussion over things that made little sense to Franky. How they found more of that sort of thing to talk about, he could only guess. He certainly wasn't jealous, of course. He didn't need to be after all, Robin had told him yesterday that she wasn't falling for Itzal, and that was that. Getting jealous wouldn't be super anyway.

He walked alongside them, tuning in occasionally when he heard Robin's voice, and even then her words made little to no sense. Franky's mind was not wired that way.

Whilst Robin understood languages that were long dead and forgotten and could decipher events of long-ago with them, Franky understood the languages of things yet to be realised. She could bring the past to life and he could construct glimpses of the future. The ability to decipher and the ability to create. It was little wonder the two of them even as complete strangers had posed the potential for one of the largest threats the World Government had encountered in years.

Itzal's crisp voice intruded on his thoughts as the three entered town, something about some of the books in the library and how they related to his and Robin's conversation. Franky glanced across at the other cyborg, unable to block out Ernest's voice from the night before.

" _You're playing a dangerous game by being here._ "

He could feel it in the ground, the slight vibrations every time his foot trod down. The incubators beneath the ground were working extra hard to keep the island's climate temperate, but there was definitely a strain. How many incubators were there? How deep were they? Was the earth hollow where they sat? Ernest hadn't been clear on that part of the discussion.

The library was fairly large as promised. Itzal lead them along to a section regarding whichever topic he'd been talking about with Robin on the way over, some form of ancient ruin.

Despite not knowing much at all on the topic, Franky watched Robin as she skimmed through one of the texts. "Found anything interesting?" he asked a few moments later, when she had reshelved the book.

"Yes," she responded, "But nothing I didn't already know. There are lots of books here though, I might stay a while."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," Itzal said, "Although I have some other business in town I must tend to, I'll see you again later."

"Thank you Itzal," Robin said.

Itzal inclined his head and left, slipping around the long bookcase and out the door.

Robin's eyes lingered on him through a window as he crossed the street and disappeared from sight. She then got back to her reading.

Franky took to scanning the library for anything that met his interest, but despite what Ernest had told him last night, there were no books on architecture or any likewise practises. Not even on the building's second level. It seemed to be the only topic not featured. Strange.

Up here on the second level was a large paned window. The rain streaked across it as it had done back at the manor, and instead displayed a clear view of the town's centre. From here, Franky could see the large water feature clearly, though it appeared dull on this dreary day. Directly opposite sat the inn he and Robin had entered shortly after arriving, the place they had met Itzal. The innkeeper had said they were at full vacancy, and apparently other places were as well…

Another odd thing about Ocultoa island. Why was all the accommodation booked? It wasn't like this was a holiday spot, nor were there any events on, not that Franky knew. They were just residents, probably didn't have their own houses here yet. Others may have been just passing through, that had to happen sometimes.

After another few moments of observing the town from the upper floor, Franky returned downstairs to see if Robin had found anything that met her interest. They would be out of here within a few days, after all. Back on the open sea…

* * *

Nightfall came again, seemingly faster than it had any day on this island so far. After a rather uneventful dinner, Franky had decided to help with the cleaning up. He had hoped some of the manor's staff members would be of vibrant company, but it turned out they were all no-nonsense types. Luckily, they'd grown sick of him early on and he'd been dismissed.

Now he stood by the window, at a loss of how to fill in his time. This wasn't the Thousand Sunny, where he had all his gadgets and likewise projects, as well as repairs that needed to be done, and young crewmembers who were super easy to entertain. He hadn't made any progress with Robin at all these past days either. He hadn't even told her of his feelings. He glanced over to Robin, lost in the words of her book.

The least he could do now was start a conversation of some sort. But nothing could come to his mind other than idle small talk. Of course there was the subject of Itzal, though Robin had made it obvious enough that morning that that conversation was over. It was nothing anyway, everything was fine. What was there to talk about?

There was silence, save for a crispy rattling whenever Robin turned a page of the novel.

That was it. That's what he could ask about. Turning from the window, he looked across the room to where Robin sat curled up on the sofa, cup of coffee on the table in front of her as her eyes scanned the text on the pages. Just a conversation. That was all. No need for confessing any feelings, just a good conversation that could get them talking for a while. That was all they needed right now.

"So what's it about?" Franky asked.

"What's what about?" Robin returned the question without looking up. She seemed tired.

"The book you've been reading," Franky responded, indicating to the crusty-paged novel, "Last night you said it was one of your favourites."

"Oh this," Robin said with a smile, pausing her reading to look Franky in the eye. "It's an old story, based somewhere far away. It's a little complicated… It's about two people and their lives, and… It's a long story Franky, and I'm not sure if you'd find it interesting."

"No," Franky insisted, "I'm super interested. I'll listen."

"Alright," Robin complied, shifting aside and beckoning for Franky to sit beside her, "Sit down then."

Franky slid into the vacant space, shifting the adjacent coffee table as he did so, and Robin began her retelling.

"As I said, it's about two people… At the start of the story they're enemies. They were each brought up in circumstances which led them to see the other as a threat… but then in an odd twist of fate, they meet each other in person." Her hand gently trailed over the hard cover of the book before she continued, "And what they find is not what either of them were expecting. They discover that neither are the person they had each imagined for so long… that maybe they're not enemies at all. Maybe they're both just victims of the same common enemy, and maybe their relationship could become far different from what either one of them imagined."

Franky listened on, admiring the way Robin looked at the book as she spoke. There was a certain light in her eyes, a familiarity he couldn't place.

"In each other's differences, they find their similarities," Robin continued, her features relaxing into a soft smile, "And they are united by a simple, universal concept…"

"What concept is that?" Franky queried.

"The Red Thread," Robin answered.

Franky noted it was the title of the book, but maybe that was no longer what Robin was referring to.

She removed the red ribbon from her hair to demonstrate, "I think it was what influenced me into buying this the other day," she said, "Rather impulsive of me… but I'm glad I did."

"It looks super on you," Franky commented.

Robin smiled as the ribbon came undone, and she smoothed it out in her upturned hands, her hair tumbling over her shoulders. "It's an ancient ideal better known as the red string of fate."

The ribbon glowed in the firelight. It was a delicate looking thing, Franky now noted, barely half a centimetre wide.

"They say that two people destined to be together will be joined by a single invisible thread, tied around their hand or little finger. The string may have to overcome difficult circumstances," she explained as she wove the ribbon in a certain pattern that somewhat resembled a flower. She held it out to show Franky, before suddenly tugging at either end. "But it will never snap."

Franky expected the thin strip of material to knot, but Robin had tied it in a way that no such thing occurred; rather, the ribbon unravelled to appear completely untarnished.

"The two characters in this story are bound together by the red thread of fate," she explained, "And although there are times they are far apart, physically or otherwise, even through conflicts and struggles, the thread is never broken. It's something that can't be broken, after all."

Franky watched as Robin held out before him, offering him one end of the ribbon. He allowed the smaller hand from within one of his palms to escape, and admired the way the silky material ravelled around his fingers. "Is it always a ribbon?" he asked, "Maybe for some people it's a copper wire, or an electrical cord."

Robin laughed. "Who knows? It's only a concept, I don't think it needs to be…"

Robin's voice seemed to trail off for some reason. For a moment, Franky thought she had simply decided to stop talking. But he soon saw why.

Little had he known that in his absent-minded twirling of the ribbon, Robin had been doing the same. As a result, their hands had met in the middle, tangled together by the strip of material. This could be awkward. But it wasn't. Robin didn't withdraw. Nor did he. Silently, their fingers—now delicately woven over and under by the ribbon—intertwined. Their eyes met and exchanged a silent mutual understanding. Franky watched those beautiful eyes, now bearing deep into his own.

She was looking at him in a similar way to how she had been looking at the book—now seemingly forgotten on the coffee table beside them—mere moments ago. But there was something else there in her eyes as well. Something akin to the way she looked at an old text when she had just managed to decipher something she'd been working on for hours, and the realisation of how it all played into the work as a whole, as well as the significance it could have posed to the original writers. So this was what it was like to be on the receiving end of her wonder.

At this proximity, he could see the highlights of her eyes that would catch in the sunshine. They danced in the glowing embers of the fireplace, specks of promising light against a mysterious, dark backdrop. As well as his own eyes, Franky could see numerous other things reflected deep within these ones.

These eyes had seen Hell. They'd experienced so much hurt and pain on their years, to a point where they could understand that which was reflected in his own past. As such, there was an honest truth. There was nothing Franky could hide from this gaze; Robin could see him through to his core. All he had ever been was reflected right here, in this simple line of sight.

Amongst all the darkness, there was life reflected in those eyes as well. A rekindled spirit of hope, eyes of someone who had endured relentlessly and then come out on the other side. They were like the sky after the rain, and Franky found himself mesmerised, unable to look away.

They were coming nearer. She was edging in on him as though to observe him in closer quarters, her free hand finding its way to his chest.

Franky was edging in closer as well, not taking his eyes off hers, even for a moment. They were super close now. What could happen from here? Would this be it?

As though catching herself out on their near-intimate position, Robin suddenly pulled back. She cleared her throat, quickly letting go of Franky's hand and untangling the ribbon. "It's late," she said, as though she'd been asked something that warranted explanation. She took the ribbon and placing it inside the cover of the novel.

Franky, slightly taken aback by the suddenness of her withdrawal, quickly settled back into the sofa, observing the hand that had so recently been joined with hers, before sealing it away. "What happens at the end of the story?" he asked, indicating to the book, now back in her hands, "Do they end up happy?"

"That's not something I can answer," Robin responded as she stood, "You'll have to find that out on your own."

Sometimes she was so cryptic. Though, Franky figured, it was probably just her way of telling him to read the book himself.

She was already halfway across the room when she turned to address him a last time. "Franky?"

He looked over, their eyes meeting again, though only briefly.

"See you tomorrow," with a smile, she disappeared around the corner and up the hallway toward her quarters.


	5. Nightmare Returned

Robin had figured Governor Itzal to be a bounty hunter as quickly as Franky had figured him to be a cyborg.

So it had come as no surprise whatsoever when the man they had only just met had so hospitably accommodated them into his lavish manor without expecting anything in return. Robin had long-since learned to be sceptical of the kindness of strangers, and Itzal's actions had certainly triggered all her inner alarm bells.

She reached her quarters at the end of the hallway and stepped inside, closing the door behind her as she did. Ernest had been right when he'd said that they were playing a dangerous game by being here. It was a game that Robin needed to play carefully and on her own, and if that involved keeping this knowledge from Franky if only for his safety, she was willing to go through with it. As such, she had to distance herself somewhat, and keep him at arm's length. Likewise, she needed to be convincing around Itzal. She knew he was playing her, but she was playing him in return. She needed to have him believe he was the one in control. Any suspicion on his part would make their current situation all the more delicate, and Robin felt as though she was straining it as it was. In short, she needed to play along with Itzal's charming antics. She needed to smile and laugh. Somehow, thinking of Franky made it easier.

She leant her back against the door and slowly exhaled, closing her eyes. Of course she knew of Franky's feelings. She'd been aware of them for a long time now, longer than she'd been aware of how she herself may have felt. But, as her hand rose to her chest, where she felt her heart still thumping relentlessly from her recent encounter and she opened her eyes to catch herself smiling in a mirror from across the room, it was pretty obvious how she felt. She just had to hide it for now. She'd been careless a moment ago, and she couldn't let that happen again. Not while in the near vicinity of the bounty hunter.

Extracting herself from against the door, Robin crossed the room, picking a towel up off the back of a chair as she did, and entered a connecting bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the shower, twisting the water on. The hot water stung for a moment against her skin, before it eased. Showers weren't bad. No different from being out in the rain, only warm.

Soon the bathroom was enveloped by a misty vapour. Robin inhaled sharply and involuntarily as the water trailed down her bare back and along the old scar beneath her left shoulder blade. It was still bothering her, just as it had shortly before they'd arrived here. Perhaps she'd get Chopper to take a look once they were back with the others.

On that subject, she wondered how the crew were doing. The message she'd sent had been highly cryptic and misleading. She didn't want the others to be pulled into this mess as well, and wasn't even sure if it had even been sent. Nonetheless, she would get herself and Franky off the island and back to their Nakama, and as quickly as possible without making Itzal or any of his subjects suspicious. It was a tricky matter, though she'd played by ear in the past, and it had never gone horribly wrong. Not when she was on guard like this. There was no room for slipping up on her feelings, like she nearly had done with Franky just out in the common room a moment ago. Not any further when in such a delicate situation. She would explain everything to him later, he'd surely understand. She'd apologise as well. Her current behaviour had left him confused, and it wasn't fair that he had to go through this.

Shutting off the water, she stepped out of the shower and dried off, redressing and settling the dressing gown over her shoulders as she stepped back into the bedroom. She disregarded the bed in the corner and favoured the wall, sliding down against it and shutting her eyes briefly. Light sleep was the best she'd gotten upon arriving here, although the ability to function properly under very little rest was a skill Robin had perfected over the years. With her eyes closed, she could channel her focus to other things.

From what she'd seen, there was no sign of Itzal's contact with marines. Robin frowned slightly. Just what was this man's game? The most likely scenario was that he was toying with them for the time being, intending to turn them in later. That would be his fatal flaw; if all went smoothly, Robin would have herself and Franky away from Oculto Island within the next forty-eight hours. That was where the need for a plan would come in, however.

Robin decided she'd investigate it herself. In her time here thus far, she'd wandered and bloomed enough hidden eyes that she knew the basic structure of the manor's interior, including Itzal's quarters and the rooms he frequented the most. If she could just enter his workshop without him knowing, she could find a possible way off the island and back to Tanium, or better yet a way to keep Itzal restrained while she and Franky went about their escape. While there were no ferries, Robin was sure she'd seen a few small boats down at the harbor that, with Franky's help, would make suitable escape vessels. But in that scenario, she could not tell Franky about their situation until later. Not now, when she was near certain the two of them were being watched more often than not; it was too much of a risk, and she needed to act oblivious to the danger herself as it was. Should Itzal become aware of the knowledge she held, whatever he had install for her and Franky would be instantaneous, and any hope of escape would be nullified. It was by no mistake all the accommodation in town had been booked out. Itzal took extra measures when it came to his business.

A few hours passed before she stepped out of her quarters. The sun had yet to rise and the common room was empty. Franky had probably retired to bed some time ago. She settled down on the sofa and gazed out the window, a light rain softly drizzling from the dark sky. She would need to wait until later in the day to undergo her investigation; sneaking around before breakfast would raise unwanted suspicion.

Robin was tired of acting intrigued by Itzal's apparent pursuits, not that she'd enjoyed them to begin with. And she wanted to be entirely honest with Franky again. Robin smiled fondly at the memory of his fireworks a few nights earlier. Unconventional and unsubtle, maybe, but that's why she loved them. In that sense, they were just like Franky. It had been very sweet of him to try and impress her in such a way, although she had withheld many of her feelings at the time.

She sighed. Her choice to withhold them back there had been nothing compared to how much she'd had to hold them back presently. But there was no time to think of Franky now. Not when they were practically in the clutches of a cunning bounty hunter.

After some time of shoving her feelings aside in favour of thinking over a valid escape plan, a dull orange hue slowly infiltrated the common room, indicating that above the dark clouds, the sun was rising. A small vacant hole in the water-filled vapour was enough for the warm light to filter through the window of the common room, penetrating the raindrops and momentarily bouncing off any shiny surface, lighting the room up like a thousand tiny stars before darkening once again as the sun moved higher above the small opening in the clouds.

A little while later, footsteps in the opposite hallway indicated Franky was up.

"Good morning," she greeted him when he entered the common room, just as she had done the previous few mornings.

He was still vaguely groggy, and Robin had to hide her smile as he yawned, still partially asleep, his messy bed hair obscuring his eyes slightly. "Super morning, Robin!" he responded suddenly and vibrantly, pressing down on his nose to shoot his hair upright and suddenly becoming far more lively—

— _Or super,_ Robin mused in her head.

The pair exchanged the usual small talk for a few moments ("Yes, I slept fine!" Robin lied), before heading down to breakfast together just as they had done in the mornings prior. Robin was especially wary on the journey down. She knew they were being watched.

Beside her, Franky chattered away about how he'd seen something cool in town the day before, and that it had inspired a new invention he was planning to make once they returned to the Sunny. "The little bros will love it!" he said as they reached the bottom of a staircase, "They can even help make it if they like. Usopp's looking for some more experience anyway."

"They'll have fun, I'm sure," Robin said in response, fondly thinking of the way the younger crew members' eyes would light up upon seeing any invention of Franky's. They were so cute.

A moment later they arrived in the mess hall and took two adjacent seats at the table. Breakfast had already been on for about an hour, so they helped themselves to whatever they liked. Itzal arrived shortly afterwards. As he sat, they made eye contact, and Robin made sure to smile. To her inner distaste, he smiled back. The smile of a man who thought he was getting the best of her. Robin inwardly grimaced. The sooner they were out, the better.

Breakfast went by uneventfully. At some point, Itzal inquired about what they'd be up to today, to which Robin responded with intentions to just have a quiet day at the manor. Itzal seemed satisfied and backed off, and Robin continued her breakfast, barely exchanging anything other than subtle glances with him for the rest of the meal.

Afterwards, she and Franky returned to the common room. Outside was still overcast and rainy, the small patch of sky from earlier now covered by layers of dark cloud. Robin settled in the sofa,  _The Red Thread_ in her hands as she flicked through the pages. Her eyes skimmed over to Franky, who was disappearing up the hallway to his quarters to get more cola. What did he make of last night's exchange anyway? They'd come very close to intimacy. He hadn't said anything about it, but perhaps, given the current situation, that was for the best.

Franky returned, looking even more rejuvenated and grinning. "I'm gonna go visit town," he announced. "Do you want to come, Robin?"

 _Yes,_ Robin thought, but shook her head. "There are some other things I need to do here today," she explained, "Alone," she added, in case he were to offer his help.

Franky seemed confused for a moment, "You don't need any company?"

"No. I'll talk to you later," she quickly shook him off.

Franky shrugged. "Alright, do what you need to do, I'll see you later. Stay super!" he said whilst making his way to the door.

"You too, Franky," she bade.

"I'm always super," his voice gently chastised as he exited the room.

Robin smiled a smile he would not see. "Yes, you are," she muttered, though knew that by now he was too far off to hear.

Once she was sure Franky was gone, Robin stood. A clock on the wall indicated it was just after ten o'clock, far enough into the day that any wandering around the manor she partook in would be far less suspicious. She set her book on the coffee table and turned, leaving the common room and entering the hallway outside. Walking in the opposite direction of what she and Franky would go for meals or to exit the manor, she quickened her pace and rounded a sharp corner, before climbing another staircase. The manor was large on the outside, but more massive again on the inside, so it seemed.

Robin bloomed small sets of eyes on the walls ahead as she went, but they detected nothing in the way of extra company. It was all well and good to know Itzal was a bounty hunter who thought he was having her on, but what difference would it make if she did nothing? The moment was now and she had to seize it.

Eventually, she arrived at a large double-door, laid out flat on the wall before her. This was it, Itzal's lab, workshop, study, or whatever it was one would call such a room. Robin quickly glanced back up and down the hallway and listened quietly. There was nothing. There was no sign of den-den mushi cameras and as far as she knew, Itzal was out with one of his clients. This was her opportunity, perhaps her only one before Itzal was to act any further. Caution was to be exercised nonetheless.

Slowly and carefully, Robin pushed open one of the doors and slid inside.

Upon first glance, it wasn't much. Vastly underwhelming, in fact; a bit of a letdown, not that Robin had known what to expect. Deep green carpet covered most of the floor, including a short, wide staircase midway through the room, leading down into the floor. Robin took a few steps inside. There didn't seem to be much on this upper level, aside for a few filing cabinets in the corner. She approached them, opening the middle draw of one. Inside, she found files of information on the island, concerning climates and incubators and buildings… the type of thing Franky had been speaking about the other day… As she searched further back through the draw however, she began to find numerous files containing information on once-wanted individuals, most of which were struck through with a red marker. A bounty hunter had to keep track of this sort of thing, Robin figured.

She pushed the cabinet draw shut again and descended the dozen steps into the lower level. Although the ceiling was lower, this level was far busier. About ten more cabinets lined the walls, and in the corner were a collection of contraptions for which Robin had no idea of the purpose. But what she found most disturbing was the wall above Itzal's large work desk.

News clippings of her (and not just recent ones) plastered the wall's surface. What must have been close to every mention of her in any newspaper was right here splayed across Itzal's work corner. They went back years, from the first mentions of her as the eight-year-old demon of Ohara, to far more recent recordings of her actions in Dressrosa, and everything in between.

She stepped back just as her eyes caught sight of the array of screens in the corner, each displaying a different scene, and switching on regular interval. One screen featured the common room, confirming her suspicions of being watched. Another showcased the hallway outside their room, others in the mess hall, and at various places in town. But it appeared this spy wear wasn't limited to Oculto Island alone. To Robin's shock, one of the screens featured a live scene from Tanium Island, with a clear view of the docked Thousand Sunny. The ship bobbed innocently on the surface of the water, unaware it was being watched. As Robin looked closer, she could vaguely sight what could only have been the form of Zoro pacing across the deck, apparently on day watch. Robin's eyes narrowed. It wasn't like him to be moving about like that whilst on watch. If ever moving, it would be while going about his strenuous exercises up in the crow's nest, not prowling the deck like this. What was going on?

Her ears rung with the sudden creaking and clicking of the door up the stairs behind her. In the surrounding silence, it seemed loud as a thunderclap. She wasn't alone. Someone had managed to slip by her defences. She'd been found out.

"I thought I might find you here at some point," a crisp voice announced the additional presence.

Robin felt her heart catch in her chest and her stomach turn. She cursed herself, so careless. She'd been found out by none other than the bounty hunter himself.

Relaxing her face into an expertly calm expression, she turned and came face to face with Governor Itzal. "You certainly take your profession seriously," she noted, her eyes not leaving his as he stepped down the staircase to the lower level.

"Perceptive as always, Nico Robin," he commended her, "A valuable trait for one of your calibre, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I found you here. Trying to find a means of escape, are you? Good luck with that."

Robin tried to think of a witty response, but found none. This was all her fault. She'd been an idiot, she should have acted sooner. She would need more than just good luck to escape Oculto now.

"It was the moment you heard my voice at the inn the other day, wasn't it?," Itzal questioned, "That you'd deduced you were in trouble."

Robin swallowed. "That's correct," she replied.

"I would expect no less."

So while she'd known Itzal was a bounty hunter, he'd known of her knowledge. She'd let her guard down too far, he'd been ahead of her all this time. Her eyes quickly flicked to the closed door, but what could she do now?

"But even with your level of observation, I doubt you could have guessed what would be in stall for you upon arriving at Oculto's shores," Itzal said, before glancing up to the screen that featured the Sunny. "The Straw Hat pirates, am I right? They're docked in at Tanium Island right now, as you can see."

Robin's eyes flicked back to the screen to see that the unmistakable form of Brook had joined Zoro on deck, and the two appeared to be locked in conversation.

"I won't let you get anywhere near them," she said coldly, though knew she was in no position to form such a threat.

Itzal laughed. "You think I'm interested in their bounties? No. I'm not interested in your crew at all."

Robin frowned. This, while seemingly unproblematic, was not what she'd been expecting. "But you're—"

"—a bounty hunter, yes. Or rather  _was._ Had this been a number of years ago, I would have targeted your entire crew, but now…" he switched the Straw Hat monitor off, "Whatever misfortune or troubles have or haven't currently befallen them are their own, and are no longer of any concern to you."

Robin's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Itzal continued. "Aside from their missing archaeologist and shipwright, of course. If I'd wanted all of you, that would have only been too easy. I was able to get you over here to me, after all. You're aware by now of this island's nature, thanks to that cyborg. Do you really think that storm that swept you here was an accident?"

"What do you mean by that?" Robin asked.

"Among many other things, some of this island's incubators' abilities involve manufacturing unnatural storms and sending them out to sea. Any goods retrieved by the storm will wash up onshore within only a few hours," Itzal's face twisted into a grin, "And now you know the truth behind how you arrived here in the first place."

"You… you planned this all?" Robin questioned. She was in far deeper than she'd thought.

Itzal inclined his head and continued. "Why am I interested in you Nico Robin, you might be wondering? Well that's really quite simple…"

"Why?" Robin fired the question.

Itzal grinned, bending and leaning in closer. "Why, indeed," he whispered in her ear before stepping back and pacing. "Because I'm not interested in bounties anymore," he spoke, his voice full of mirth as though he were a child who'd finally saved enough pocket-money to buy the toy he wanted, "I'll collect the occasional few when I need the extra funding, but since a certain incident eleven years ago, my vision has changed to something much more valuable, something I can only obtain with you, Nico Robin. Of course, my plan has not gone perfectly thus far; you were never meant to have company when I manufactured that storm to wash you to my shores in the first place. That other cyborg is completely unnecessary, though it won't be hard to get rid of him. I might even cash in his bounty while I'm at it, for old times' sake."

At once, Robin's defensive reflexes came into play, and before she knew it, she had Itzal locked in the furious grip of six arms, threatening to snap his spine with the slightest movement. "If you  _dare_  hurt him," she spoke, each word uttered with all the venom she could muster, "I'll make sure you lose any ability to function, even with the riches of every bounty in the world."

"Oh?" Itzal chuckled, completely unfazed, "Do you  _love_ him, Nico Robin? The way you loved me?"

Robin's frown deepened, though she didn't withdraw her grip in the slightest. "I've never loved you."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes and you know it," she replied, "You've known from the start that I knew you were a bounty hunter. Why would I have feelings for you with that in mind?"

He smirked. "Look at you, acting as though you have the upper hand… Who said I was talking about recent times?"

A sudden and unexpected fatigue hit Robin like a brick wall, slamming into her core from somewhere along her left arm. She dropped to her knees, her hold on Itzal diminishing entirely.

"S-sea stone?" she shivered as he waved an ungloved hand at her. Although completely flesh-covered, underneath must have been infused with the substance, and all he'd needed to do was touch one of the arms that had restrained him.

"Why you, Nico Robin?" Itzal pondered, circling her like some sort of bird of prey. He seemed to almost be gloating. "It's about time I truly answered that question…"

Robin shifted uncomfortably as he squatted down opposite her, where he looked her evenly in the eye.

"Well I've always been the one who's pulled the strings you know," he said quietly, before he reached around her and dragged his long fingers down below her left shoulder blade, along the old, bothersome scar.

Even with the fabric of her shirt protecting her from direct contact, Robin's breath hitched as she felt the chill of the dormant injury spread throughout her entire body. All at once the scattered shards of confusion came together clearly to decipher one name.

"Still hurts?" Itzal whispered in a tone she'd only heard in some of the darkest nightmares about her old reality that left her bathed in a chilling sweat and trying to convince herself that it couldn't happen, even if it already had. "Yes, I remember where I cut you. That scar will last forever."

That tone had come from elsewhere before the nightmares.

"Victorigen," Robin spoke, the name like a poison dart. It was the first time she'd spoken it aloud in years. She hadn't even given a name the other day while on the bridge with Franky when she'd reflected on the 'long gone' bounty hunter who'd scarred her. But here he was, not nearly as long gone as she'd thought all these years.

"That's right," he said, "You left the job unfinished. As you can see, I am still very alive."

Now that she listened closely, while different, his voice still had that clear crispiness. Robin's heart pounded almost audibly in her chest, and she fought to keep her breath even. Itzal, Victorigen… they were one in the same. He was one step ahead of her, just like all those years ago. Robin clenched her fists in frustration. How could she have been careless enough not to see into this?

"However," Itzal, or rather Victorigen, continued, "While you didn't kill me, I didn't come out unscratched. I look and sound different, don't I? After our incident, it's only natural you presumed me dead. After all, most humans would have perished back there, all the others did. That was the day I turned from bounty hunting, save for dabbling from time to time when I needed the cash. I'm not after your bounty Nico Robin, nor that cyborg's. I am after something much more valuable. Revenge."

"You've got nothing to seek vengeance for," Robin said, her voice masterfully smooth over the storm of anxiety raging on the inside, "What happened to you back there was coming for you all along. All I did was remain alive."

"Alive, huh?" Victorigen spat, "Isn't being alive your crime in the first place, Nico Robin?"

"No," Robin replied strongly, standing to her feet, "Simply living is no one's crime. Not even yours."

The former bounty hunter's demeanour changed suddenly. The mirth in his eyes was replaced by cool malice and his smug grin vanished. "I'm not sure exactly what's gone on in the recent years of your life, Robin," he said, referring to only her given name for once, "But doubtlessly, living with the Straw Hat crew has changed you. It's blinded you from the reality you've run from all your life. I thought it was quite clear after our last encounter that someone like you is never meant to have Nakama."

"And you were wrong."

Victorigen chuckled once again, his contempt returning. "My body was rendered entirely useless after that incident, you know. Initially I modified this new body of mine simply to survive afterwards. Much like that cyborg friend of yours, I suppose. But as time went by I chose to adopt it more to suit my needs. As you can see…" without warning he grabbed her wrists with a single hand in a crushing force that would defiantly bruise. Robin hissed in pain, her knees buckling again as she struggled to remain upright. "Seastone, a primary weakness of fruit users, second only to the sea itself… Now that I've finally managed to track you down, I can bring all those years of torment to justice. Oh and by the way, you haven't answered my question.  _Do you love the cyborg the way you loved me?_ "

Still struggling against her weakening confines, Robin gathered the strength to look her captor in the eye with the iciest glare she could muster. "Franky is nothing like you."

"Oh, so you  _do_ love him?" Victorigen laughed heartily, "In that case, I'm glad he came along with you. This  _will_ make things interesting…"

"I won't let you lay a hand on him."

"I won't even need to. You know, it's pathetic," he spat, "That someone like you could even dream of being loved. What were you thinking? That you could have a happy ending? I don't care if you have Nakama or are in love with that cyborg. I'll see to it myself that your ending is not a happy one."

As Victorigen released his grip, Robin fell to the floor. Exhausting chills ran up and down from every nerve in her body, and her wrists rung with a dull ache. She gasped to keep her breath.

"Don't you get it, Nico Robin?" Victorigen questioned from above her, "I may have given up on bounty hunting long ago, but with you it's personal. Ever since that day eleven years ago my soul purpose has been to track you down and extract my revenge. You thought you were one step ahead of me, Nico Robin. Just like last time I've got you figured out, but this time I will not fail."

Robin couldn't close her eyes and try to convince herself it was all a dream, because if she did, she knew she'd be greeted by the familiar nightmares of a seemingly distant past, and an inescapable realisation that that nightmare had returned.

" _Don't you remember?_ " a haunting whisper graced her ears, though whether it was from memory or current reality, she couldn't tell, " _Once you open yourself up to someone, you can't hide from them_."


	6. From the Past

**_\- Eleven years before current events. -_ **

It had been eleven years. Eleven years since the fall of Ohara. Eleven years since the World Government had deemed her a threat and placed such a high bounty on her head, since she'd become a fugitive on the run from the most powerful force in the world. Nico Robin had been running for more than half her life now, and she'd be running all that time again and again until she inevitably dropped dead.

It was a miserable existence, but she'd been forced to adapt, living and getting by on her own for the most part. Occasionally she'd tag along with a crew of pirates or other criminals, but it never lasted. She'd use them, they'd use her, until inevitably one would openly betray the other, not that trust was ever granted in the first place. Robin didn't even know what I felt like to trust anymore. It was just the way things worked; she'd long since resigned to the fact that each new sunrise didn't guarantee the next sunset, and vice versa. But she would live, for as long as she could. A life like this offered very little room for error, and there were times when she'd come so close to getting caught, she could almost see an imamate end to it all should she not carefully plan her steps along a dangerous and narrow path.

Right now was one of those times.

"Yes boss, we have 'em," the voice of one of the ship's chief bounty hunters reported boastfully, "Both of 'em. Including Nico Robin!"

Robin shifted where she sat, encased in a small seastone cell. West Blue was a vast ocean, but not big enough to drown out the knowledge of her name after all these years.

It had only been a small mishap of carelessness that had gotten her here in the first place. It was almost demeaning given all the confrontations she'd masterfully avoided in the past, to think she'd been tripped up by something so simple. But that didn't matter anymore. She was here now and would have to deal with it.

In the cell opposite sat another prisoner. Male, mid-to-late-teens at a quick guess. So far, he had sat in silence, taking fleeting glances at her from time to time. Robin briefly wondered what he was wanted for, but brushed it off as none of her concern. The bounty hunters had him now, and they had her too. No amount of wondering about the other would help either of them out in this predicament.

Once the bounty hunter had finished bragging to his boss, he hung up the den-den mushi and turned to the two captives. "We'll be arriving at the headquarters before sunrise," he said, "Once we hand you over, you'll never see the sun again! Hahaha!"

The voice of another of the bounty hunters came from upstairs, interrupting his comrade's gloating and inviting him for a few drinks.

"I could do with a victory drink right now," the bounty hunter supposed, "I've earned it after such a good haul… don't get too comfortable, you two." He left the room, shouting eagerly up at his friend.

Robin sighed and leaned back—not that she could lean back far in a cell of this sort. Her eyes suddenly caught on something shining, about a foot away from the floor of her cell. She straightened up and edged closer, taking in the objects shape and texture.

Was that the key? The bounty hunter must have dropped it during all his bragging and gloating.  _The louder they boast, the further they fall…_ Robin thought, reaching out from a gap in her cell and grabbing the key.

She fit it into the lock, her mind going through all the escape routes she knew of in the ship, and the means one would go about to reach them. With a light  _click_ , her cell door swung open and she was free.

Her left leg twinged painfully as she stood on it. The bullet-graze that had led to her capture the day before had grown more painful over the past few hours, and standing on it only made it protest all the more. All that had been done to treat it was bandage it with an old (dirty) cloth to stop the bleeding. It was likely becoming infected, but Robin resolved to deal with it later. Right now she'd been given the opportunity to escape, and she wouldn't waste it over a sore leg.

She exited the cell, heading immediately for one of the escape routes she'd figured.

She'd almost reached the door when the boy from the cell opposite spoke up. "Sis!"

Robin stopped. Of course she wasn't going to simply escape on her own without him having anything to say about it. Despite the ease of which she could have disregarded his plea and continued on ahead, Robin turned to look at him as he spoke.

"Help me out, would you?" the boy asked, "Please…"

Robin locked eye contact with him for a moment. He was young. Just a few years younger than she was, with messy red hair framing his face. He was a stranger and his future was in her hands, entirely at her mercy. Giving in to her instinctive judgement, she stepped back and quickly slipped the key into the lock, allowing him to escape.

"Thanks!" he breathed, stepping out of the small space.

"Stay close," Robin whispered, "And stay quiet."

The boy nodded in response and they tiptoed out of the holding room together.

Immediately before them was the staircase, up which their captors were currently celebrating. That wouldn't do. To their left, a hallway extended. Robin silently gestured for the boy to follow, and together they crept along. There had to be some means of escape along here, Robin knew the staircase into the dining area wasn't the only one.

Soon they reached another staircase, which led up into the outer deck. This would be their best bet. They quietly made their ascent, wary of their possible surroundings. Robin bloomed a set of eyes at the top to ensure the coast was clear. It was.

The air was cold and the deck was slippery with icy ocean spray. Conveniently, a set of lifeboats were positioned few meters from the staircase's opening.

"We need to be quick," Robin said gesturing to the set of lifeboats, "Help me untie one."

A shout suddenly sounded from below deck.

The boy swore. "They found out!"

"They were bound to at some point. We need to be extra quick," Robin said, giving one of the boats a stronger shove as an irritating alarm began beeping.

The cold ocean churned dangerously beneath them and the boy glanced down at the icy water nervously. "I can't swim, I'm a fruit user!" he said.

"That makes the two of us…" Robin said, "Come on, we need to go while we have the chance!"

It was only a small wooden boat, but it was better than nothing. The motor within it would allow them to escape at a steady pace whilst the hunters searched about the ship for them. It was a potentially bad idea, but a bad idea was better than no idea at all in this situation.

"There they are!" a voice shouted from the upper deck, and Robin felt her heart sink. Too late.

Gunfire rained upon them, and Robin pulled the boy down behind the boat with her to shelter them. She waited for a pause in the bombardment, before swiftly standing from the shelter and incapacitated their attacker with nothing but a slight wave of her arms. More hunters took his place. There were far too many of them for her, or the boy, to take down on their own, so she squat behind their temporary shelter trying to think of some way, any way they could escape.

Sudden canon fire sounded from the distance behind them. Robin turned to see another ship had appeared on the ocean. The sails were a dark teal colour, and the flag displayed a vague jolly roger.

"It's them!" the boy said, his face lighting up in relief, "My Nakama!"

Robin studied the ship harder, vaguely noticing a few human figures aboard it. "They came for you…"

"Of course they did! Now if we could just get over to them…"

"You said you were a fruit user," Robin said, "Obviously you can't swim across, you'll need to either wait for them to get here or sail in one of those boats."

The pair dodged another shower of bullets, quickly repositioning themselves in their spot behind the boat.

"I can fly," the boy said, "I have the fruit of the snow owl."

"Then fly over to them," Robin said, "I'll hold them off for you."

"But-"

"You have Nakama, I don't! Think of how they'd feel the worst were to happen to you. Go, join them! Don't worry about me, I'll cover you."

The boy gave her one last look, before he ran for the ship's edge and transformed into a pure white owl, flying hastily toward the ship of his Nakama.

Four of the hunters aimed their guns at the bird, but Robin quickly located them, crippling them with her abilities instantly.

A pair of the hunters jumped down at her from above, armed with knives. She dodged their trajectories with relative ease, proceeding to disarm her attackers and send them flying into the freezing water below. She did not notice the third hunter who'd jumped down from above until he was upon her. Her leg stung painfully with the added force of his weight, his much larger form trying its best to cripple her with brute force. She barely managed to take him down, disabling him with a simple crack of the back, causing him to sprawl across the deck in agony.

In the struggle she slipped backwards, landing hard on the icy deck and the wind was knocked out of her. Her head pounded with the impact and a cloud of stars infiltrated her vision, making her mind fuzzy.

"Get her!" came the furious cry of one of the remaining hunters.

Robin quickly climbed back to her feet before they could reach her and continued to fight, knowing she could not hold out on her own for much longer. And she didn't need to; from the corner of her eye, she vaguely noticed other people were now aboard, people she didn't recognise as any of the hunters. In fact, they were fighting them off at her side, and avoiding any conflict with her. With fewer opponents facing her directly, Robin was able to catch her breath for a short moment.

"Ya shouldn't let yer guard down, little miss," the hunter from earlier, who'd been boasting to his boss said in a scolding manner.

Robin straightened up. "You're one to talk," she bit back, "It was thanks to your carelessness with the key we were able to escape to begin with. What's your boss going to think of that?"

"Doesn't matter," the man grinned as be began advancing on her, "In the end it will be the same outcome anyway." His large form was unacknowledged by the new arrivals, each too involved in their own battles to engage with him. He proceeded to pull a thick axe from his belt. "I won't let you escape," he grunted, brandishing it as he came for her.

Robin stepped backwards, trying to figure out a way to counter his impending attack.

"I'll cleanse this world of your sinful existence, Nico Robin," he threatened.

Robin took another step back; unaware she had approached the ship's edge until it was too late and her feet met no firm footing. She slipped and fell…

The water was cold and unforgiving. She'd never fallen in before, but she knew she couldn't swim. As such, she'd tended to avoid contact with the water on the past; should she fall in, there were no Nakama to pull her out, and she'd sink and die, as she was doing right now. Would this be how it all ended? The sole survivor of Ohara, drowned. There was nothing she could do about it. No one would be coming to save her. She'd never meet the true Nakama Saul had said she'd one day have…

As her lungs relinquished the last of their air, Robin noticed a dark figure swimming towards her, before a strong pair of arms enveloped her body…

The return of air to her lungs was a pleasant and somewhat relieving surprise. Another moment later and she was out of the chilling water altogether, laying on her side on a solid surface and heaving. Suddenly, there was movement. The ship, or whatever vessel it was she was on seemed to be sailing at a high speed across the water. Was there a motor installed somewhere in it? Before she could focus on anything else however, she needed to recover.

She coughed, the salty seawater still caught in her throat, making her nauseous. A gentle pressure was placed over her shoulders, which she guessed to be a towel or blanket, but it couldn't stop the shivering, which seemed to block everything else out.

Who'd saved her from the ocean? It couldn't have been the boy; he was another fruit user and would sink as well.

"Give her some space!" a crisp, male voice sounded from somewhere above.

The voice of the boy then echoed in her ears from nearby. "I couldn't have escaped without her! She helped me get out of the cell, and to get over to you guys! I don't know if you could have gotten me back if it weren't for her!"

"It's alright, Min," a female voice soothed, "We'll look after her, no need to worry."

Robin tried to move, but it was no use; her entire body felt like a lead slate. For the time being, she had to resign to the fact that there was nothing she could to. Just as the boy's future had been in her hands not much earlier, hers was now in the hands of these strangers.

* * *

She'd been captured. That was her first thought, as it was the most obvious scenario.

Robin shifted on the soft, warm surface, trying to rouse herself, to get moving. But it seemed her body was fed up of listening to the instructions of her mind. It just wanted to sleep.

 _Not today…_ she told herself.

With an almighty mental shove, she rolled herself off the bed, waking her body with the force of the impact on the timber floor below.

Hoping that the thump hadn't been too loud, Robin peeled her eyes open and gazed out at her surroundings. She was in an infirmary of some sort. Strange. She pushed herself into a sitting position and ignored the dull, throbbing ache at the back of her skull. She had other things to worry about at the moment. It seemed like she always did. Detangling herself from the covers, she swivelled and stood up from the floor, taking a moment to steady herself before proceeding across the room. She winced at the jolt of pain that would pump up her left leg with each limping step, subtly noting that it had been disinfected and bandaged.

Eventually, she reached the door and took another moment to rest against the wall and catch her breath. Muffled voices sounded from outside, but the more she focused, she could tell they were not right outside the door. Perhaps luck would be somewhat on her side.

She quietly opened the door and slipped out into the vacant hall, glancing up and down for an exit. Light flooded from an opening to the right, so she deemed it her best route for escape. She hobbled up along the hallway, occasionally clinging to the wall for further support and pondering her next moves. She'd nearly reached the opening when her path was blocked by a tall man.

His light brown hair was swept back into a short ponytail, and his grey eyes regarded her in a cautious manner, but not one that suggested ill intent. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?" he asked, "Surely there's nowhere you need to be right now."

"Well, no…" Robin spoke, "But I'd rather be on my own again."

The man sighed. "Are you sure?"

Robin felt her body tense slightly as he bent down and lifted her off the ground, carrying her back towards the infirmary. She recognised these arms. These were the arms that had pulled her out of the ocean earlier. These were the arms that had saved her. As they entered the infirmary, she felt herself relax.

Footsteps sounded from up the opposite end of the hallway, and a moment later the boy from earlier appeared, along with a dark-haired woman who looked to be in her late twenties.

"You're awake!" the boy said as Robin was set back down on the bed, "Thanks for your help back there. You saved me."

"Don't mention it," Robin muttered as the man lifted the tangled bed sheets from the floor and gently set them back over her, "Just let me go when you can, and consider that debt repaid."

"You don't want to stick around?" the boy asked, "Why not?"

"'Cause she's a little escape artist," the man laughed, seating himself at the end of the bed, "She needs to stay for a few days at least, we're in the middle of the ocean. Why don't we do the friendly thing and introduce ourselves?"

"Right! I'll go first," the boy spoke, clearing his throat, "My full name is so long and ridiculous that even I forget it. Most people just call me Min because that's easier. Nice to meet you!"

Next, the young woman spoke up. Robin recognised her voice as the one that had spoken to Min upon her initial arrival on the ship. "I'm Avara," she said, "I'm sorry you had the misfortune of running into those bounty hunters earlier. They were part of the Calypso Division. They're the most prolific hunters on this ocean."

"I know," Robin said.

"And they don't like losing to anybody. It's not going to be so easy to escape if they get you again."

"I see…"

"Anyway, I think I already heard you name when we were on the hunter's ship," Min said, "But if you don't mind, could you introduce yourself?"

Robin wasn't sure if she should respond. She'd only just met these people, and therefore certainly didn't trust them. Although they had just saved her…

"You do have a name, don't you?" the man asked.

"I'm Robin," she answered. "Nico Robin…"

"Robin, hey?" the man asked with a smile, "Lovely name. But don't let us give you cause to worry, Robin. You're not the only one on this ship with a hefty price on their head. People like us need to stick together, you know."

Robin gazed at him for a moment.

"Oh, I'm Victorigen by the way," he introduced himself, "I take the captain's role on this ship, the Velia Stratus. There are two other crewmembers as well; Sylo and Liyla, but you'll meet them later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Excuse us, Robin," Avara spoke, nodding respectfully, "Min and I have duties above deck we need to tend to. Rest well, okay?"

"See you later," Min bade as he skipped out the door behind Avara.

Robin sat in silence, listening to their footsteps as they slowly disappeared back up the hallway. Now it was just her and Victorigen.

"How old are you anyway, Robin?" Victorigen questioned after a moment.

"I'm nineteen," she said simply.

"That young?" he asked, "And yet you've already been on the run for so long. It must have been hard."

"Yeah…" Robin replied.

"If it helps…" he began, "All of us came from similar situations. If you don't trust us or don't want to stay, I completely understand. But if you didn't want to be alone…"

Robin looked at him.

"Well it's not every day you meet someone who'd risk setting a stranger free alongside them, much less risk their own lives for the sake of that strangers'. You're a good person, Robin."

Robin glanced down at the floor, her hands gripping at the bed sheets. "…Do you… do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," Victorigen replied, "You've proved it right in front of my eyes. Anyone who's said otherwise is wrong."

Robin tried to let his words sink in. She'd been called many things over the past eleven years, but a 'good person' hadn't been one of them.

"I'm not sure what people have told you in the past," Victorigen said, "But I hope that if you end up staying with us, you begin to see what I see in you. And even if you don't, I want you to know that you aren't a bad person at all."

"…Alright," Robin said, unsure of how to respond to such a comment.

"I should also let you know that Avara was right about the Calypso Division. They don't like to lose. So if you do go off on your own again, be extra careful alright? They don't tend to forget these things. Of course you won't need to watch your back as much if you stick with us, we'll watch it for you, and you can help watch ours and… Ah who am I kidding? The choice is yours Robin, and you don't need to decide right away. Just know that if you stay with us, we'll protect you. At least stay until you recover, alright? No wandering off. Not that you'd get far, we're surrounded by ocean and all…"

Robin didn't know what it was, but she found herself laughing at his antics.

Her amusement seemed to satisfy Victorigen, and he grinned as he stood from the bed. "I should leave you to rest," he said, "We'll see how you feel about it once you've recovered, but please consider what I've said."

Robin nodded. "I will."

* * *

Robin remained wary over the next few days. She'd been deemed fine to get up and move about after just a day of bed rest, and had chosen to quietly explore the ship and get to know the crew. By now, she'd met them all.

First up was Min. Aside from being the youngest in the crew, he also happened to be in charge of navigation. He was a funny kid, but Robin had decided she liked him. The fact she'd been saved as a result of saving him aside, she was glad she'd done it. Now that she was getting to know him better, she realised she wouldn't want him to fall into the hands of the World Government anyway.

Then there was Liyla, a blonde-haired wiry girl a couple of years older than Robin. Robin had nearly had a heart attack when the girl had all but jumped upon her, taking her into a crushing embrace upon first properly meeting her. "Finally, a third girl in the crew!" she'd cried triumphantly. Victorigen had told her off afterwards for her behaviour, making it clear that Robin had not decided whether to take them up on her offer yet. Nonetheless, the girl had a likeable personality, and had a knack for conversation. What her position in the crew was, Robin wasn't entirely sure, though supposed she specialised in some form of fighting and otherwise partook in odd jobs around the ship.

Avara was the crew's doctor, a more sensible woman than Liyla, though no less friendly once engaged in conversation. Talking to her put Robin at ease, and she knew who to thank for the aid to her wounded leg earlier on. She was also very welcoming, and Robin couldn't help but like her.

Sylo was a quiet individual who would sit by during conversation and add to in on occasion. From what she could tell, his contributions were few but always very interesting. He was a listener, and was large and muscular in stature. He was also the crew's cook, and the food he made was the best Robin had tasted in a long time.

Lastly, there was Victorigen. He was roughly eight years older than she was, though she didn't tend to notice. He was like no one she'd met before, and Robin couldn't quite pinpoint what it was she liked about him. She would find herself absentmindedly staring at him, trying to decipher just what it was.

She was staring at him right now, in fact. As she leant against the rails of the ship's upper deck, chin in hand, she surveyed his actions, although all he was doing down below was filling out the ship's log and drawing up some sort of object whilst sipping on a glass of cider. Robin felt as though she could watch him for an eternity.

"Robin!" Avara's voice called her name from over at the dinner table, snapping her out of her thoughts, "Come and get some food, honey!"

She took a seat beside Liyla as Sylo set out dinner. Min hurried over from where he'd been studying a map in the corner and sat by her other side. Victorigen arrived at the table soon afterwards, and took a seat opposite her.

Once everyone was settled and had started on their meals, Robin decided to raise a question. "So have you encountered them before?" she asked, "The Calypso Division, I mean."

Liyla spoke up first. "Just the other day was our first time coming into direct contact with them, though we'd heard plenty about them and seen them around beforehand," she said, "They managed to capture Min, but we were able to get him back thanks to you. We need to be more wary of them, especially seeing how they've gained a lot more of a presence these days."

"The ship from the other day was only a satellite," Sylo said, "Their entire fleet is pretty enormous. That satellite would have been part of a larger ship, likely the one their squad leader was at. There might be another rank or so above that squad leader, but at the very centre of the Calypso division is Commander Calypso himself."

"No one knows what he looks like or what his real name is," Min added, "He's a man of mystery. A lot of people are scared of him, just for that fact alone."

"Who knows…," Avara said, "For all we know, he mightn't even be human… he could be some sort of chicken."

"Like me?" Min questioned, quickly morphing halfway into his owl form.

Robin nearly spluttered on her glass of water, having to cover her mouth with her hand to hold it in. The crew had similar reactions, though most couldn't hold them in, blatantly laughing at their friend's action.

"I said a chicken, you brat!" Avara protested, playfully whacking Min and causing him to morph back to his human form with a laugh.

The night continued on with similar pacing. They stayed around the table long after dinner had been finished and the dishes were cleared.

Robin laughed along with them as they talked into the night. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She had genuinely laughed more times over the past few days then she had over the past eleven years combined. As they laughed over some dumb joke, she made eye contact with Victorigen, who smiled at her. She smiled and looked down, focussing on a discolouration in the wooden table.

Just sitting and chatting made her feel so normal.

That night while laying in bed, an odd feeling came upon her and it took a few days more to realise exactly what it was. A tingling sensation that started from her core and flooded her entire body. She was smiling without realising it. She was laughing and it was natural. She was sleeping whole nights through and in comfortable peace. She was happy. And it was an amazing experience. For the first time in eleven years, Robin felt truly at ease.

Early one morning, she got out of bed and headed out onto deck. As expected, Victorigen was already up. It was no surprise; he'd had the night's last watch after all. Robin smiled as he went about an exercise routine, before heading down the steps and joining him on the lower deck.

"Good morning," he said as he finished the light training.

Robin returned the greeting, before beginning on what she'd originally come down to say. "Victorigen?"

"Yes Robin?" he asked.

"I want to stay."

A sincere joy shone in Victorigen's eyes, and he immediately came forward and embraced her, lifting her up off the ground with the momentum of his movement.

This manner of physical contact still seemed foreign to Robin, and she was unsure of what to do in return.

Noticing this, Victorigen carefully set her back down on her feet. "Sorry," he said, "I've been wanting to hear you say that for days now."

"Don't apologise," Robin dismissed, before smiling, "Hope it was worth the wait."

"More than you know," Victorigen said, proceeding to call for the rest of the crew.

The sun had only barely risen and aside from Robin, Avara and Sylo were the only ones who'd risen with it. The other two emerged from their quarters looking as though they'd just rolled out of bed, bound to the commands of their captain.

"Robin's made her decision!" Victorigen announced, "She's decided she'll stay with us!"

At once, Liyla and Min's demeanours completely transformed. Next moment, Robin nearly had the life squeezed out of her by the pair of them, as they chattered an array of blissfully excited words of welcoming. Back on the upper deck, Avara and Sylo smiled at the exchange, congratulating her on her decision.

"Sylo, cook up a feast!" Victorigen ordered, "Even though she's been with us two weeks already, it's now official! Let's welcome our new Nakama, Robin!"

The crew cheered.

Victorigen draped an arm over her and pulled her close. "Welcome aboard!" he whispered in her ear.

* * *

The weeks that followed were like a dream. Robin had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't; this was now her reality. These were the Nakama she'd waited and searched over half her life for, and they'd ended up finding her. She couldn't even imagine going back to a life on her own.

She cherished each interaction, from the large to the small and seemingly insignificant.

Min often morphed into his owl form and flew around the ship, keeping a lookout for potentially dangerous encounters, and on one particular night, he'd deemed the conditions ideal for a sleep-out. The crew had exchanged stories late into the night, some true, others false but infused with imagination. That night, Robin had fallen asleep to the sound of her friends' voices and the night's breeze, her back warm against Victorigen's.

On another night, conditions were very different. The storm raged so loudly on the sea, Robin feared the ship would capsize. But one look at the determination of her Nakama, and she knew it would be alright, even after Sylo had ushered her and Min indoors to avoid them being thrown overboard. At some point around this time, the crew also gifted her with a nicely crafted knife and holster, to defend herself with should her abilities not be enough. Robin hoped she'd never have to use it, but was appreciative nonetheless.

She often read to the crew. From old time classics she occasionally found throughout the ship (Min particularly liked these), to basic instruction manuals for Victorigen. He'd told her that over the past year he'd gained an interest in building, and had a range of inventive ideas he wanted to try, hence the designs Robin had seen in his log. Most of them were kept below deck and were covered by several sheets, though a few stayed out. Most were not yet up to perfection and would occasionally explode, but it was never anything too severe.

One day a few weeks later, they'd encountered a smaller satellite ship of the Calypso Division.

"Just hand over Nico Robin," the voice from the ship had requested, "We know you have her. Hand her over and we'll leave you alone. No one gets hurt."

After the encounter, Robin couldn't think of any words to say. Only tears came, the memories of other crews betraying her in such circumstances in the past were seemingly swept away by the smiling faces of her Nakama, the Nakama who would rather fight and die than turn her in.

"Don't cry, Robin!" Liyla had joyously bantered, swinging her into a side hug afterwards, "I hate to see you sad."

"I'm not sad," Robin had protested, laughing through the tears, "I have no idea what I'm feeling!" After all, what kind of emotion caused one to cry when they weren't sad?

Well certainly not a bad one Robin had figured, as Victorigen held her tight, the rumbling of his chest loud against her ear as he laughed and rubbed circles into her back.

A while later, Robin sat out on the deck, basking in the sun's warmth. She smiled as Victorigen came out of the main cabin and sat with her. Before she'd joined this crew, how long had it been since she'd simply sat and enjoyed someone's company like this? How long had it been since she'd spent time with anyone without them inevitably trying to capture her and hand her to the World Government? But those experiences only meant Robin could now appreciate this simple unity all the more. This basic human contact she'd craved for so long.

Victorigen had drawn close to her now. If she wanted, she could lean back into him… but should she? What if he were to resent this type of movement? But she wanted it and he was right there… the worst that could happen was for him to decline her advances, though Robin didn't much like the sound of that. This would take some courage.

Slowly, she eased back toward him, soon coming into contact with the warm surface of his chest. Her heart was hammering as she anxiously anticipated his next movements. He shifted his arm linking it around her and encircling her waist, pulling her even closer.

Was this for real?

She felt herself relax. There was something about this form of physical contact. So simple and yet so intimate. It was warm, but a type of warmth neither a blanket, nor the heat of the sun could supply. It was the warmth of not being alone. She had never been close to someone before. Not like this. She leant further back, moulding herself into his embrace. His arms secured around her front were so gentle and reassuring. And for this single moment, nothing else mattered. All else dissolved until it was just the two of them remaining. She turned and looked up at him, their eyes connecting. Their communication was silent, yet had meaning more than thousands of words. He leant in and she did not hesitate in what came next.

After a moment, they broke apart. Robin caught her breath, her eyes trailing back to Victorigen's.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her, "You know, once you open yourself up to someone, you can't hide from them."

"Why would I hide from you?" she asked.

He smiled and leaned back in. "I can't begin to imagine."

* * *

Days and weeks bled into one another.

Robin's relationship with Victorigen blossomed in a way she never thought would ever be possible for her. The more time she spent with him, the more she felt she could talk about anything, and she found she was telling him things she had never spoken of to anyone before.

It was no secret from the rest of the crew either. They very much approved of the perceived blooming romance between their two Nakama, giving them plenty of time alone whenever they docked at a new island.

On occasion, she'd stay with him in his quarters for the night. Sometimes they would get quite intimate and one thing would lead to the next. Robin always made sure to be careful however; an unplanned pregnancy out on the ocean was not something she figured she'd ever be ready for. Nonetheless, when she was around Victorigen, all of her few concerns and worries would be completely stripped away.

* * *

It was the day before her six-month anniversary with her Nakama. Coincidentally, it was also the day before her birthday. This fact of course, was not overlooked by anyone in the crew.

They'd docked at a large island, one of the largest in West Blue. They'd been here the past few days, and would probably stay a few days more. Robin was relaxing on deck, enjoying the summer's heat when she heard Avara calling for her.

"Robin, dear," came her voice, "Would you come over here for a moment?"

Robin got to her feet and walked over to where Avara stood by the stairs to the upper deck. "Yes?" she asked.

"I need you to go into town and get a few supplies," Avara informed as she handed her a shopping list and a small wad of cash, "I would send Sylo in to get it, but he had a few drinks last night, and you know what he's like. Huge man, but can't hold his liquor!"

Robin chuckled. "Does he have any medicine for it, or should I get some?"

Avara shook her head. "He can handle it."

"Alright, see you later," Robin bade with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, Robin… I hear Victorigen will have a surprise for you when he returns," Avara said with a wink.

Robin smiled. "I look forward to seeing what it is," she said.

"You'll have to wait!" Avara grinned.

Robin disembarked the ship and waved goodbye, before heading into the bustling town.

It was such a beautiful day. The town's markets were alive with steady crowds and colourful attractions. The air was abuzz with the sound of pleasant talk and the aroma of numerous savoury scents. Tomorrow she'd be twenty. Perhaps whatever surprise Victorigen had in stall had something to do with that. Twenty… the number seemed so mature and far off. It seemed these last eleven and a half years had been filled with so much self-preservation, she had no time to worry about what age she was turning when. She hadn't had time to count the years as they'd passed. And now she was an adult, and she'd finally started to live. She had her Nakama to thank for that.

Eyes scanning the list of groceries, she rounded a natural bend in the construction of the market, which took her all the way to the other side of the port. She was on her way to one of the stalls where she knew she'd be able to purchase about half the items on the list, when she came to a complete stop. A certain ship docked on this side of the port wore a certain symbol on its sails, and it changed her mood completely. It was a ship from the Calypso Division, and it looked a lot like the one from six months prior.

Immediately, Robin forgot about the shopping list and turned on her heel, making a hasty exit, though was sure not to attract any attention. Once she was sure she was out of sight of anyone in the port, she ran for the Velia Stratus. What if some of the bounty hunters had caught her Nakama unaware? Robin wouldn't have it. She needed to warn them, and they needed to get out of here.

"Ah Robin, you're back already!" Avara said upon her arrival, "Quick trip? Or did you forget something?"

"I'm sorry Avara, I didn't get your groceries, but…" Robin panted, "We're in danger," she reported hurriedly, "They're back!"

Avara looked on in slight confusion, "Who?"

"The Calypso Division! I saw one of their ships in the other harbour.

Avara's eyes widened a small bit and she immediately went to rouse Sylo.

"Sylo!" she hissed urgently into his quarters, "Sylo, it's happened!"

Sylo emerged from the room looking a tad groggy, but awake enough to tend to an emergency, "It's happened?" he questioned, "Do the others know?"

"I'm calling them now," Avara said, den-den mushi in hand as she dialled.

Min picked up. "'Sup," he greeted.

"Min, are the other two there?" Avara enquired.

"Yes we're all here. What is it?"

"Robin says she saw a ship from the Calypso Division in port."

"What… really?"

"Yes! They're here. Make sure the others know."

"Yes, I will. You know what to do."

Avara nodded and spoke an affirmation, before placing the den-den mushi back down and turned back to the other two. "Prepare to set sail," she instructed.

"What about the others?" Robin asked as Sylo busily got to work.

"We'll meet up with them at another part of the island," Avara replied, "We need to get this ship out of the harbour."

Robin nodded and went about preparing the ship, and within a few minutes they'd left port and were sailing along the island's coastline. Her eyes scanned the forest's edge for her Nakama, wanting nothing more than for all of them to be aboard and safe.

"We're here," Sylo announced after a while as they anchored at a deserted natural harbour, some way away from the shoreline.

"We're meeting with them here?" Robin asked, peering out over the seemingly vacant coast.

"That's right," Avara supplied.

Robin continued staring out to the sandy coast, waiting for something to happen. And something did. In fact, a number of things happened all in quick succession.

The sound of a bird flapping nearby and quickly entered her ears, but before she could turn or avoid it, both her arms were pulled down and restrained behind her and her energy suddenly sapped. Robin looked down behind her to see that a set of handcuffs, no doubt made from seastone, had been administered.

"Wh…what?!"

Above her, a white owl—wearing some sort of covering for its talons that had come in contact with the cuffs had been carrying—looped into a circle, and settled at a place up on the mast, before morphing back into his human form. It was something he'd always done, though admittedly not with the seastone cuffs. And now Min was looking down at her, his grin part sly, part smug. It was certainly him, but something in his eyes was unfamiliar.

Robin turned to the others, seeking explanation. Liyla was now aboard the ship as well. Their faces betrayed nothing more that informed her, but similar expressions to what Min was currently wearing.

"Out of your hiding places, everyone," Min instructed from his place upon the mast.

Robin frowned; the statement was strange and unfitting. It made no sense to her, but the other seemed to understand what he was saying.

Liyla exhaled, her cheerful exterior visually relaxing. " _Finally_ ," she sighed, elated, "I was wondering for how much longer I'd have to behave like some airheaded idiot."

"You could have picked a personality closer to your actual one," Sylo suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind next time."

"Perhaps I will as well," Avara commented, "Though you were quite convincing, I've got to credit you. I think it was effective."

"Same goes for you," Liyla commented.

Additional footsteps sounded from the back of the ship, where Liyla must have come from. A moment later, a set of vaguely familiar forms came into view, and Robin recoiled. They were the hunters from that day six months ago.

The particular boastful hunter who'd had her and Min imprisoned came forth, pure mirth in his eyes. "What an honour!" he remarked, "We were there for the start, 'nd now we get t' witness the finish!"

Robin took a step backwards, regarding everyone and unable to process it all through her expression of blank shock. Too many thoughts were rushing through her mind and it was impossible to focus on one alone. She tried to stand steadily, but found herself trembling. "Huh…?" she heard herself say, "What's happening?"

The weather was closing in. The sky, once blue and unblemished, was now dark and surging.

"Aren't…" she stuttered, eyes frantically scanning the people she'd come to know and love over the past months, "Aren't we Nakama?" These were the Nakama she'd always been searching for… weren't they? Surely they wouldn't turn her in.

"What's happening right now is the climax of a six-month-long procedure, " Sylo informed her, his speech animate and nothing like she'd ever heard from him, "The ultimate test, occasionally placed by the higher ups of the Calypso Division. Prisoners of your calibre are caught and given the opportunity to escape. They are also given the opportunity to set Min free. If they ignore him and just try to save themselves, we find them dull and hand them over right away. You'd be surprised how often that happens, actually. However… should they deem Min worthy of rescuing, they effectively roll the starting dice of our commander's favourite game. From there, they are taken aboard the main ship and directly under his wing."

"Main ship?" Robin questioned.

"You've been on it six months now, Robin dear," Avara said, her voice filled with mockery. "You never escaped those bounty hunters. You've been with the Calypso Division this whole time."

A door from the upper deck opened, and Victorigen appeared, seemingly to inspect the ruckus.

"Victorigen!" Robin said, "What's all this? Some sort of joke? This isn't like any of you! What's going on?"

"But Robin," he sneered, his voice smug as he descended the staircase, "You don't really know any of us… But wow, isn't it amazing how much more successful keeping prisoners can be when you don't lock them in  _physical_  bonds."

Robin found herself stepping backwards as he crossed the deck, towards her.

"Also, I think it should be pretty obvious as to what's going on," he said, "You've been had, Nico Robin. Well done everyone, you've put on a good show," he commended his crew.

"You're… Commander Calypso…" she breathed, remembering the conversation from months earlier.

Victorigen turned to the crew. "Finally, she sees!"

They responded with mock cheering.

"You were a specially fun target," he said, turning back to her and approaching, "So desperate for affection, for Nakama, it was ridiculously easy and most enjoyable. Unfortunately for you, that has to come to an end. Six months is more than long enough."

Robin couldn't understand. Was this a nightmare…? It had to be… the very worst sort. And yet it felt just as real as anything that had ever happened to her. "What happened to being Nakama?" she voiced again, this time to Victorigen.

"Nakama? Please…" he said, "That was just a cover so you wouldn't go running away on us. All of it was. These past six months have been tough for me, you know? I haven't been able to relax. We had to keep up this stupid 'Nakama' act just to keep you from running away, amusing as it was. How was my acting?"

Robin found her back pressed against the rails of the ship, with nowhere to move as Victorigen came closer still.

"Don't you get it?" he asked, his hands reaching out and running through her hair. His touch wasn't gentle like it had been in the past. It was harsh. He pulled down, tilting her head upwards so to look him in the eye. "There's no way anyone would put up with you forever. Not when there's such a generous bounty to be claimed on your head."

The turn in events was so sudden to Robin, she couldn't even react. No tears formed in her eyes, not even upon Victorigen's remarks. The all-consuming rush of shock and helplessness was taking her from the inside, and she couldn't form any words.

Victorigen pulled her from the ship's edge, standing behind her and holding her close to him as he'd done in several displays of affection in the past.

Only this time it made her feel sick.

"I was your first time, wasn't I?" his breath whispered against her neck, "You were a decent fuck, I'll give you that. But you'll never be anything more than that demon child who managed to escape Ohara. Your existence is a stain on this earth and it's about time we removed it and reaped the harvest of your bounty."

Before Robin could properly react, a white hot pain exploded in her back.

Victorigen wrenched the knife free, and Robin fell to the floor of the deck trembling. It wasn't as deep as he might have intended, but the scalding sting of her skin opening and blood simmering out

With the shock still fresh but fading, her emotions were finally beginning to surface. "You should have just let me drown back there!"

"Maybe," he responded with a shrug, "But where would the fun be in that? Nico Robin."

She flinched at the way he said her name. Not long ago, it had been calming and reassuring. Now however, she detected nothing but foul intent.

"It's time to put an end to you!" Victorigen announced, raising his knife up high and ready to strike a fatal blow.

Robin braced herself. It couldn't end like this, though dying didn't sound so terrible right now.

An explosion suddenly sounded from below deck, and for a moment, Victorigen looked away and regarded it with the confusion Robin had expressed earlier.

A hunter quickly emerged from below deck, "It's one of your inventions, commander!" he panicked, "The one you were going to use to lure and capture your targets! It's going out of control!"

"What?" Victorigen demanded, "At a time like this?" he turned back to Robin, "Better get this done quickly…"

Another, much larger explosion rocketed through the air before Victorigen could make his move, and Robin felt herself flung against the side of the ship from the force. The sound partially deafened her and she felt her lungs hacking and coughing against the dust, smoke and debris. When the dust began to settle, she saw that half the Velia Stratus had been blown to pieces. At least half the ship's occupants had been blown away along with it, including Liyla and Sylo, as well as a number of the other bounty hunters. Robin's breath unevened as she ignored the casualties and frantically searched for a means of escape; the ship was sinking, and spot fires were beginning to start up all over the place.

The key to her cuffs lay close by, and she was willing to bet that this time its dropping hadn't been staged. Nearby, Min's body lay unmoving, having been knocked down from the mast with the explosion. Whether he was still alive or not, Robin couldn't tell, but the way his body was bent over at an odd angle didn't seem healthy.

Her hands were shaking and her heart was hammering, but somehow she managed to fit the key in the slot of the handcuffs, clicking them free. They clattered to the ground, just as an iron grip fastened around her ankle.

"No one escapes me," Victorigen's voice rasped.

Despite being heavily injured—it looked as though his shoulder had been impaled by a pipe—his grip was almost too strong to fight off.

Another explosion erupted, closer and hotter this time, causing Victorigen's grip to slacken and Robin to go flying up through the air. The radiant heat almost suffocated her as she fell, down toward the water that would be her grave.

" _Cien Fleur Wing!_ " she managed to say with a fold of her arms before she reached the water's surface.

One hundred arms extended from her back, catching her in the air. The wind generated by the explosion helped her wings to carry her over to the safe, dry land. It was a technique she'd only recently began practicing, but she never would have thought she'd be putting it to use so soon. And never, ever like this. Her arms strained painfully, but she had to take herself further. Only a moment later, the arms disappeared and she fell to the dry turf below. It was a soft landing, but it hurt. She couldn't remember it hurting this much. Not since the last time she escaped somewhere that was burning with explosions. The fresh cut along her back felt dull in comparison, and although it seemed not to have hit any vitals, Robin bloomed a hand over it to block and ease the flow of blood.

She glanced back over to the Velia Stratus, now fully ablaze with flames and sky-high explosions. Whatever invention of Victorigen's had caused that had chosen quite the time to malfunction. No one would have survived that. Even if they had, it made no difference; they were dead to her. All of them.

The holster at Robin's hip weighed heavily, the knife the crew had given her to defend herself with beckoning to be used. Trembling, Robin removed it and surveyed it in her hand. It would be easy. So very easy. All the pain could end right here and now.

A voice from close to twelve years ago resounded to her from the past. " _Live, Robin!_ "

She dropped the blade, turned, and fled, leaving the explosions behind. She would persevere. She ran and ran for what felt like an age, until an upturned root sent her toppling to the ground. She landed in a heap, too overcome to feel the brunt of the fall. As another explosion rung out in the far distance, Robin felt the tears come. She hadn't cried like this in so long. But there was no one who would hear her out here, no one who would care, no one would even know. It was evident that something like 'Nakama' would never exist. Not for her. Finding anyone in this world who would actually love her in any way was beyond the scope of possibility. She was alive, but she had trusted for the last time.

And she was alone.


	7. The Double-Edged Blade

The carpeted floor was cold and hard.

Robin pushed herself upright, the weakness brought upon by Victorigen's sea-stone touch having worn off. Still, her body felt heavy. Once again her past had caught up with her, and in a most unsavoury manner.

Victorigen stood observing from nearby, a quiet smile on his face as he watched her. "Fond memories?" he asked, "Or not so? I must say that final encounter of ours is not remembered as such a happy incident on my part. But today I'll be setting the score even. You won't be escaping this time, Robin."

Robin shifted herself into a sitting position, her icy gaze regarding him with equal despise to that which she felt.

"I have waited eleven years for this," he lamented, "Eleven years of dissatisfaction. Having failed my previously unsoiled name, I chose a new one. 'Itzal' is quite fitting, don't you think?"

Robin chose not to answer his question, and instead pointed out the fallacies she'd seen in his claim. "Everything that happened back there was your doing," she said, "Even the malfunctions in whatever that invention was below deck, which allowed me to escape and caused you to have to modify your body to survive. If you're looking for revenge, the one you should be after is yourself. You're just hiding from your own mistakes."

Victorigen frowned at her statement. In a swift movement, he crossed the floor and landed a solid kick to her midsection.

Robin recoiled in pain, the force sending her skidding across the ground momentarily.

"And yet if you didn't exist, this wouldn't have happened in the first place," Victorigen said as he approached again, this time placing his floor against her, as though threatening her to make any sudden move or snide comment. "Having said all that, it's funny you should mention that little malfunction," he said with a twisted grin. He glanced over to his workstation and to the monitors that showcased a number of different locations on the island. "This island's area is roughly ten by ten kilometres. That's one hundred square kilometres, you know." The seemingly random fact must have served greater purpose to what he was eluding to. "Within each of those square kilometres, there is an incubator positioned beneath the soil every ten meters. There are ten thousand of them though out this island, and each is under my direct control. According to what many of my subordinates believe, these help to control and maintain the island's climate. And while that is true, there is also so much more…"

Robin straightened up again as Victorigen removed his foot from her side.

He proceeded to wander over to his desk and the monitors. "I learned from that error. While the initial design itself failed, I've learned to weaponize the event that killed my subordinates eleven years ago. In whatever location, to whatever magnitude I see fit. To an extent of course. Come, watch closely…"

Begrudgingly, Robin rose to her feet and stood beside him. It would do no good to make a run for it right now, and she refused to show weakness. She stood tall and strong despite the protesting ache in her gut, though made sure to keep a healthy space between herself and the former bounty hunter.

"This screen here," Victorigen said, indicating to a monitor towards the top right of the wall which depicted a quiet forest scene, "Is live feed from the opposite side of this island. And this here," he said, rolling up his left sleeve and displaying some sort of dial within his left forearm, "Is a part of my body. Now keep your eye on that tree in the centre of the screen."

Robin watched said tree as Victorigen twisted the dial and lightly traced something with his finger.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the tree exploded upwards in a booming blast. The bark was blown to pieces and all the leaves incinerated in an instant. A moment later, all that was left was a smouldering heap of debris.

"Of course there's still some perfecting to be done yet," was Victorigen's commentary as Robin looked on in alarm, "But I'm sure you now understand the basic enterprise. This dial and all those incubators are connected, it's rather self-explanatory. Why, you were actually part of my inspiration behind this weapon. I'd always admired the way you could bloom limbs onto any surface within your vision, and while this little trick of mine may not be as accurate or contain as much stamina at this moment in time—that was only a small explosion, but after a large one, the weapon's abilities are nullified for a little while— it still has a way to go. Nonetheless, I believe it is accurate enough for me to get you to do what I want you to do," his eyes filled with a possessive aura, "Everyone on Oculto Island, whether they know it or not, is entirely at my mercy."

"The destruction of that weapon killed your subordinates," Robin said, "Didn't they mean anything to you?"

"Their deaths were unfortunate," Victorigen admitted, "However, my largest misfortune on that day was allowing a valuable prisoner to escape. But today is the day I'll set my record straight, and their deaths will no longer be in vain."

Robin frowned. "What are you planning?"

The corners of Victorigen's mouth turned upwards, "All in good time, my dear."

She felt sickened by such mockery, but didn't let her distaste show.

"Well first off," Victorigen began, "That cyborg needs to go."

Robin's fists clenched. She knew she was on no position of power, but she'd fight anyway. "I won't let you do anything to Franky."

"And I won't need to," Victorigen replied smugly, "Because that will be your job."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What I mean is that you're going to force that cyborg to leave this place without you."

"He wouldn't leave me here alone!"

"True. Not if he thought you wanted to leave. But if you were to convince him you desperately wanted for him to leave this place so that you could stay here with me, well then… do you think he's respect those wishes?"

"It wouldn't be about just him," Robin objected, "It would be about all our other Nakama as well. He wouldn't let me abandon them."

"And what would  _you_  know about Nakama, Nico Robin?"

"A whole lot more than you do."

Victorigen gave her a dangerous look and Robin chose to say no more to avoid the risk of him attacking. "Well those Nakama of yours are elsewhere," he said after a moment, "And you're going to make that cyborg leave without any of the others in mind. It's only the two of you, so make it personal. Between the two of us, we've already established the fact that you love him, isn't that right? But because you make yourself so cryptic and unreadable, he has no idea you return his feelings. With all the time you've been spending pretending to be infatuated with me, he's bound to believe you've come to love me instead."

"I'm not going to do that," Robin objected boldly, uncaring of any attack Victorigen may launch on her for her impudence.

None came.

"Perhaps I should rephrase all this," Victorigen said calmly, "Make him leave, or I will execute him myself," he indicated to the screen on which the remains of the tree were still smouldering, "You've seen how easy that would be for me. I wonder what you would do if he were to die, Robin?"

Robin felt herself pale at the thought. This was a dangerous situation, and she had to protect Franky at all costs. Even if it meant giving into the wishes of her enemy for the time being. She attempted to hide any tremor from her voice when she net spoke. "What would you have me do then?"

Victorigen sneered in triumph. "Well I don't want this to be a mediocre effort on your part, Robin," he said, "I know you can be very convincing, very manipulative. That's a trait we share. We both know that cyborg has indiscrete feelings for you. So I want you to break his cyborg heart. I know you have it in you."

Robin felt her firm exterior momentarily crumble.

Victorigen needed no more of a queue to grab the opportunity as quickly as it came. He withdrew a set of seastone handcuffs and fastened one end around Robin's nearest wrist before she could regain her proper bearings.

"What are you—?!"

"No need to panic," he cooed to soothe her protest, "I'm doing something generous for you," he clipped the other half of the handcuff to a narrow pipe in the wall, "I'm giving you time to stop and think about how you'll go about this convincingly. I can't have you approach your dear cyborg in your current state, or you're bound to slip up immediately, and then I'll have to kill him. So I'll leave you to mull it over for a few hours. How does that sound?"

Robin didn't respond as she tried to ignore the weakening sting in her captive wrist. Victorigen had fastened it to the pipe in a way that left her unable to lover her arm below the level of her eyes, and if she were to let it relax, the seastone would dig in. She'd need to remain standing like this for however long he saw fit, and then…

"Once I let you out of this room, you have one hour. If that cyborg hasn't left this island by then, he'd dead. And don't even think about escaping with him or blabbing. I'm watching you, and you know what power I hold."

* * *

Robin slowly made her way back along the hallway and down the staircase, towards the common room. Her thoughts were loud in her mind.

Upon her release, Victorigen had informed her of a boat now in the port Franky would be free to use to leave the island aboard. Now the difficult part would be getting him to use it without her.

What would she say to him? Hurting Franky like this was something she never wanted to do. And yet if she didn't do it or tried to explain her actions, Victorigen would kill him. There was no way around it. Last time she'd been this free a prisoner was when she'd encountered Victorigen the first time, but there was a difference between knowing you were on the road to hell and being completely oblivious.

Before long, she found herself back at the entrance to the common room. After a moments pause, she pushed open one of the doors and stepped inside. She only had an hour.

For a moment, she thought she was alone in the common room and was afraid she'd be faced with the added dilemma of having to find Franky before getting him to leave. But after a few quick seconds, he appeared from the direction of his quarters, his tell-tale blue hair swept up into its original style Robin loved so much.

But it wasn't the time for admiring his hair, although seeing him right here and now was like a first breath of fresh air after nearly drowning. He was here, just as he had been in the morning. Unchanged, unaware of the events perspiring around him.

"Robin!" he called upon noticing her and Robin became vaguely aware she'd been standing motionless in the doorway, "Where have you been all this time? Not that I was worried, of course! You were gone a super long while."

It was a moment before Robin realised his statement warranted her response. She made her way further into the common room before replying. "I took a walk," she explained promptly, "And then I met up with Itzal on the way, and we had one of our conversations. You know how long I can talk to him for," she ended with a convincing laugh.

Franky glanced at her, his eyes narrowed for a moment. "Right then," he said with a nod, "At least you enjoyed yourself, I guess…"

She hated the way she had to lie to him.  _And the worst has yet to come…_ Nonetheless, his presence was comforting. But it couldn't last. Victorigen was watching her every move.

"I came up with some new ideas for that invention I was telling you about earlier," Franky informed her.

Robin took a moment to recall the project he'd been talking about on the way to breakfast just this morning. It seemed longer ago than it should have. "Oh, have you?" she asked, trying to sound interested although she knew she shouldn't have been.

Franky launched into an explanation of all the additional features and gadgets he'd decided on adding to the contraption, and what purposes they would serve.

Robin sat and just appreciated the sound of his voice although she took no words in. He was right here. So close, yet so far off. Again, like that time eleven years ago, she'd fallen into Victorigen's trap. Once again he was one step ahead of her. She should have known better. She'd gotten herself into such a mess with no way out other than doing exactly what he wanted her to do. Fighting against him now would be far too high a risk. She'd have to go through with his demands, for now at least. And that meant Franky would be getting hurt in the process, even though he had nothing to do with it all.  _You're wasting time,_  she mentally told herself. She had to get him to leave and she had to do it soon. There was no time for idle chit-chat when his life was at stake.

"Usually you can't keep them out in the rain, because they'll rust," Franky was explaining his invention in detail by now, "But this one actually  _uses_ the water. It can even help look after your flowers, Robin."

Robin smiled despite the situation the cyborg was blissfully unaware of.

He'd always been kind to her. Even when all he knew of her was that she was a danger, even when he'd had every reason to curse her existence. Instead he'd saved her, and in more ways than one. He was always trying to impress her. Always looking out for her. Always trying to make her smile…

He was in danger and he didn't even know.

So lost in her thoughts, Robin didn't notice Franky had stopped his animate talking. It was the soft touch of his hand stroking her hair that brought her back.

He was crouched beside her, surveying her in slight concern. One of his smaller hands emerged from his massive palm and wiped away a stray tear Robin hadn't even been aware she'd cried.

Her breath hitched in her lungs. She wanted nothing more than to lean into his touch, to open up to him about how badly she'd stuffed up. But that would do neither of them any favours. As it was, silently crying in front of him like this was a terrible start.  _Hadn't she just learned not to be so careless?_

"Robin…" Franky said, his voice soft in contrast to the enthusiastic tone he'd been exhibiting only moments before, his large hand coming to rest on her shoulder. He pinned her in a look of such kind, genuine concern, Robin felt as though her heart would tear in two. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered.

Robin quickly recomposed herself and applied the cool and passive exterior she wore to well. "Nothing," she said, "There's nothing to talk about, Franky." She placed her hand over his in attempt to push it away, but Franky gently caught her wrist. She winced.

"What's this?" he asked before she could pull away.

Robin mentally hadn't exactly paid much attention to her wrists over the past few hours, but she recalled the way Victorigen had grabbed at her with such vigorous force as well as the digging of the sea stone cuffs, and how she'd known they'd leave a mark.

Sure enough, a short glance proved her wrists were lightly smudged with yellowing bruise. A small, partially-open gash slanted down the left one, from where Victorigen had had her stand with the handcuff. Her entire arm still ached dully from the encounter, although she hadn't noticed it until now.

Slowly, Frank lowered her wrist and let go of it. He squat down so he was eye-level with her. He was terribly calm, and when he spoke his voice was filled with a quiet evenness Robin had rarely heard from him. "Who did this to you, Robin?"

"No one did," she replied as passively as she could, "I slipped over while out on that walk. I managed to break the fall, but it put a lot of pressure on my wrists."

Franky's eyes continued to look into hers, very carefully. _Why aren't you being honest with me?_ they said. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" Franky asked.

Robin shook her head, but knew it would make no difference. She'd seen Franky like this only very few times in the past, it ever. He didn't seem it, but he was angry.

"I'm sorry I was unable to stop that from happening," he said, "But it won't be happening again," he stood, "Pack your things, we're leaving now."

"What?"

"We're getting out of here," he said, "Right now. No waiting for any ferries or for the others to get here. We're leaving now. We should have left earlier. Go down to the port and wait for me. I have something to discuss with Itzal…"

"No!" Robin shot back firmly, "I'm happy staying here. Why don't you leave on your own if you want to so badly?"

Before Franky could respond, the two doors to the common room opened at once and Victorigen himself entered. His presence was, in a way that sickened her, somewhat relieving. She had no idea how she could carry out the argument with Franky on her own from here.

"Is there an issue?" Victorigen asked, effortlessly sounding genuinely concerned.

Robin noted the way Franky 's hands formed fists when he spoke. "Yes," he said positioning himself protectively between Robin and the new arrival, "There super is, Itzal."

Robin sighed. "It has to do with what we were talking about, Itzal."

Franky looked at her in confusion. "What were you talking with him about, Robin?"

Robin couldn't return his gaze.

"Robin was being quite honest with me earlier, actually," Victorigen stated, "Seems as though there's a lot she hasn't told you. Haven't you noticed how aloof she's been toward you in her time here?"

"What did you do to her?" Franky asked.

"I didn't do anything. I only listened to what she had to say, and I'm fairly certain she wishes to stay here with me."

"Is this true?" Franky asked Robin.

She returned his gaze, "It is."

"I'm not leaving without you," he insisted, "What about the others, hey? They'd be super upset if you didn't return."

Robin shook her head. "Take this, if you must," she said, scooping  _The Red Thread_  off the table and thrusting it into Franky's arms, "But that's all. I'm staying here."

"But it's your favourite book, Robin…" he argued, "And why stay here? Is this what you want?!"

"Just take the book," Robin said, "You want to know what happens at the end, don't you? Read it!"

Franky stored the book away into one of his pockets, but he wasn't done, "How will this help your dream?" he demanded, "How will it help Luffy?"

"The lady says she doesn't want to leave with you," Victorigen interjected, "You should respect her wishes. There's even a boat waiting down at the port for you."

Franky turned to Victorigen. "What did you do to her?" he maintained.

"I've already answered your question. As I said, all I did was sat and listened to the innermost feelings of this woman you call your Nakama."

"Liar," Franky shot back, crossing the room to him, "Those bruises along her wrists are your doing, aren't they? And you're forcing her to keep quiet, huh?" he took him by the scruff of the neck and pushed him against the wall, "Listen, you've been hospitable," he said, "But when one of my Nakama suddenly shows up with bruises after seeing you and requests something super out of character, I have my reasons to be suspicious."

While she admired the way Franky retained most of his calm and stood up in this situation, Robin did not like the look of where this was going for him.

Victorigen caught eye contact with her from across the room, and briefly gestured down to his arm with a smug grin, to where she knew the explosive dial was nestled. "Well maybe you don't actually know Robin at all," he provoked.

That would do it. Franky's grip on him tightened.

"Franky stop!" Robin shouted, running over to intervene.

What happened next was too fast for Robin to fully register. Next thing she knew, she was on the floor, flat on her back. The impact of whatever had happened actually hadn't hurt at all. It was the suddenness that had left her somewhat winded and in a state of confusion as to what had just occurred.

Franky was beside her within the next instant. "Robin!" his voice panicked, "Are you alright?!"

"I'm…" she began, sitting herself upright.

Franky's hands shook as he assisted her in doing so. "I'm so sorry, Robin! I super didn't mean it. Are you hurt?"

Suddenly, it made sense. In Robin's abrupt intervention between the two cyborgs, Franky had been on the verge of attacking. Robin had grabbed hold of his arm, and he'd accidentally knocked her to the ground.

It really was nothing though, it probably looked far worse than what it actually was.

"I'm alright," was what Robin was about to say. But the words never managed to come out.

Victorigen's seastone hand encased her shoulder, and Robin felt her energy evaporate like steam. Its potency was a lot stronger than a standard set of cuffs, after all.

"Robin!" Franky called her name again, completely unaware of Victorigen's intervention in the scenario.

"Well look, now you've hurt her," Victorigen said snidely.

As Franky pulled back, Robin had no choice but to relax into Victorigen's weakening hold. Even if she tried, there was nothing she could do against the force of seastone being applied to her shoulder. Deceiving Franky like this felt totally wrong. It made her feel physically ill. But if it was what would save him from being exposed to Victorigen's deadly assets, she'd have to play along. Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she suddenly grew aware of the other two's conversation.

"Obviously, that ridiculous body of yours is a danger," Victorigen said in response to whatever Franky may just have said.

Robin had never so badly wanted to punch someone in her life, and at the same time, she couldn't remember a situation in which it was so vital not to attack. All she could do was lie against him until he released his hold. There was nothing she could do without Franky getting hurt as a result.

Victorigen slowly released his seastone hold on her and helped her stand. "Up you get… there we go, are you alright to stand, Robin?" She nodded and he leant in. " _Now would be the time for you to make the final blow,"_ he whispered so quietly she needed to strain her ears in order to hear him, " _If you want him to live, that is._ "

"Robin, I—" Franky began.

"No, Franky," she interrupted before he could continue, "I don't want to hear it. I think I've made my stance clear."

Franky didn't say anything in response, but looked at her in a way that made her feel as though her heart had been cleaved in two.

However, Robin's façade was flawless as all her years of training had ensured. She fixed him directly in the eye the coolest stare she could muster. "I don't want to be with you," she maintained, "Leave. Don't bother coming back." There was not much more she could say. Even a carefully trained exterior like hers wouldn't be lasting much longer. She didn't want to look Franky in the eye, but knew that if she had to appear genuine, nothing else would suffice.

Franky stared at her for a few more moments, his expression unreadable. He then softly inclined his head. "Alright," he said, "Yeah, I get it now. I'm sorry I've been a nuisance. Goodbye, Robin." Without another glance, Franky turned and exited the room, bound for the port.

As the door slammed shut, Robin felt her facade finally slip. She dropped to her knees, her heart thundering in her chest, feeling as though it was pumping in tiny fragments, having already been torn apart.

"I had a feeling I'd need to assist you," Victorigen said, "Luckily I showed up and intervened."

Robin ignored his comment. His voice was the last thing she wanted to hear right now.

"You really  _do_  love him, don't you?"

It didn't matter anymore. Robin nodded, the pain in her chest rising to a whole new level.

"Then you did the best thing you could have done in your situation. You let go of him. And now he can return to his Nakama without any fuss."

She knew this wouldn't be the end of it. She may have hurt his feelings, but Robin knew Franky would know better. He'd be bringing the rest of the crew back here as soon as he could, and Victorigen would have a war on his hands when they arrived.

Still, she couldn't block Franky's voice from her mind. " _Sorry I've been a nuisance…"_ Robin tightened her fists to a point where it felt as though her nails would tear through her skin. She didn't know much about Franky's childhood before Water 7, but she knew his father had abandoned him on the Grand Line. For being a  _nuisance…_

"Seems like breaking his heart was a double-edged blade for you then," Victorigen remarked in amusement as he observed the exterior evidence of her anguish, "I'll give you a few moments. We have a few moments to kill, after all."

Robin grimaced. She wouldn't give in now. There would be another way around this. She withheld the tears and got to her feet. She had to remain strong, for Franky. "I'm ready now," she said.

Victorigen glanced at her in vague surprise. "That was a fast recovery," he noted, "You're colder than I remember you being."

"I'm the same as ever," Robin declined.

"Anyway Robin, the show is not yet over," he said, taking her by the upper arm and pulling her out of the room.

He practically dragged her through the manor and down a narrow, unused corridor. From what she could see, there were no staff around. Where had they all gone? Robin shook her head. That was the least of her concerns right now.

The passage seemed to slope downwards until Robin was sure they were underground, beneath the manor. She was beginning to worry what the former bounty hunter had in stall for her down here, when they eventually resurfaced into another building.

The interior was unfamiliar and Robin glanced around for any indication as to where they were. She caught sight of a low window, making out the forms of some familiar buildings against the darkening sky. They were in the town.

"This is the observation tower," Victorigen informed her as he prompted her up a spiral staircase, "The tallest building on the island, you would have seen it from any point in town. You can see everything from at the top, and there's a particularly good view of the harbour."

They soon reached the top of the structure and sure enough, the view was just as Victorigen had described.

"Ah, right on time," he noted, pointing down to the port, "There he goes. I'll let you see him off."

Robin looked over and made out Franky's distinct figure, small from this distance, as it disappeared into the boathouse. If only she could talk to him right now, assure him that she'd meant nothing of the words that had been exchanged just a little earlier…

A few moments passed in silence, before a small ship exited the port. Robin watched it longingly, knowing Franky was aboard, sailing away from Oculto. She knew that regardless of what was exchanged between them earlier, he would be hurrying back to the others to fill them in on what happened, and then Victorigen would learn the hard way about what happened when someone messed with some of the Straw Hats. She'd keep him and any of his subordinates at bay in the mean time, she'd just have to—

A sudden explosion shockwaved through the air, and a pillar of flames erupted into the sky before expanding in an over-arching blast.

The sound was near deafening, and yet Robin heard nothing. Her sight was her only sense that seemed to be working, and all she could see hull of Franky's ship as it was torn to pieces and engulfed in the inferno. Everything else was a low buzz in the background.

She tried to form words, but there was no sound she could string together. To the right of her vision, she noticed Victorigen had his sleeve rolled up, a hand firmly over the dial in his arm.

"The soil isn't the only place those incubators were planted. Did I forget to mention that?" his voice faded back into her line of hearing, "Didn't you learn not to trust my words, Nico Robin?"

She felt weak. Her body was shaking all over and she knew she'd probably collapse under the smallest pressure. That didn't just happen. No. She refused to believe it.

"With an explosion of that size, this thing will be useless for another two hours," Victorigen said with a glance down at the dial, "But that's more than what I'll be needing."

Robin couldn't form any words. It just didn't seem real. It  _couldn't_ be real. And yet it was, just like everything else that had happened in her time on this island. Just as real as the betrayal of her so-called Nakama from eleven years earlier.

"And the best part about it?" Victorigen leant in to whisper, just as he had done all those years ago, "He died never knowing how you truly felt."


	8. Powerful Words

_Ten minutes earlier._

Franky wasn't buying it. Not even for a second.

As he strode through the town, his fists tightened in unspent rage. He should have pummelled Itzal right then and there. However, Robin must have had a reason for stopping him. There had been a silent desperation in her eyes, as though she were crying out for his help. In this case, that would mean to go along with whatever she was playing out. While Itzal was around, at least. But he wasn't around right now. Franky was now left to his own devices.

His mind replayed the events of their exchange from start to finish, and something had been wrong right from the start. Whatever had transpired could only have happened in the hours following breakfast, in which he'd been in town and Robin had been out on that walk, during which she'd met Itzal…

" _I don't want to be with you. Leave. Don't ever come back._ "

She had seemed so sincere and Franky would be lying if he said it hadn't hurt a little. He'd be lying if he said it hadn't hurt a  _lot_ , and he was still yet to realise a reason for her actions. When he'd accidentally knocked her over, Franky had felt as though it had been himself that had been suddenly slammed to the ground, ten times over. But Franky wasn't ignorant. Even before Itzal had intervened on their exchange, evidence suggested Robin had been manhandled in an earlier encounter. She was hurt, she was crying, and if Itzal truly expected him to simply up and leave after that, he had another thing coming. Franky knew better than take Robin's words for face value, even when the depth of which they'd cut was far deeper. Simple fact came above all else for this matter; there was no way in the world the Robin he knew would ever abandon any of her Nakama, including himself. For now he needed answers, or at least time to strategise a little before returning. And he knew just the guy to go to.

Conveniently enough, his destination was the in the same immediate direction to which he'd been bannished. If he could somehow contact the crew and get them to arrive within the next few hours, they'd deliver to Itzal the most chaotic of retributions. The guy didn't know what he'd gotten himself into, nor what would transpire should the rest of the crew show.

But was there time for that? The thought of leaving Robin here alone, even for a small amount of time was the least of things Franky wanted to do. There had to be some way to alert the others, and that's where Ernest would come of use.

Franky arrived at the boathouse and entered to find the man he was searching for busily going about some sort of procedure. He cleared his throat and Ernest jumped at the sudden announcement of company.

"Ah yes, I've been expecting you," he greeted upon seeing his guest, "How might I help?"

"There's a boat here now, right?" Franky asked.

"Yes," replied Ernest indicating just outside the window, to the inside of the boatshed, "Only a small one. I've been instructed that you will be boarding it. Is that correct?"

Franky turned and looked out the open door behind him. A small part of the village was in sight, and behind all that was the forest in which Itzal's manor sat. "What exactly was said?" he asked.

"Well," began Ernest, "Governor Itzal informed me you would be heading back to your crew once this boat arrived back on our shores. All he said was to let you on and send you away."

"I'm not getting on that boat," Franky said.

"Why not? Ah, it's that lady, isn't it?" Ernest enquired, "Nico Robin… yes, I see…"

"What do you know about her?" Franky shot back.

"You love her." It wasn't a question.

"What does that have to do with all this?" Franky asked, "Never mind, I need your help. Is there any way at all I can contact my crew, and super fast?"

"I'm afraid it could take a few hours," Ernest said, shaking his head.

"Do what you can," Franky said, turning to leave, "I'll be waiting."

"Wait!" Ernest called after him, "You can't leave just yet!"

Franky drew to a stop, "Why's that?"

Ernest quickly looked around the room and out into the empty town, as though to be sure no one else was watching. "Do you even know about that woman's past encounter with 'Governor Itzal'?"

Franky's eyes narrowed. "Past encounter? You mean they've met before this?"

Ernest nodded grimly. "I've heard Itzal speak of it many times," he said, "It all happened before he took me as a prisoner, but that's another story. If you were aware of what transpired, you wouldn't be planning to leave here without her at all."

"I'm not," Franky maintained, "Send the ship off without me."

"No one's on it," Ernest pointed out.

"Exactly. Just make it look like I've left, to fool that bastard."

"I've never betrayed his orders before," Ernest admitted, "But very well."

A moment went by, in which Ernest exited the room and entered the boat shed. He untied the boat from where it was anchored and prompted it to sail out of the boathouse and away from the island, unmanned.

He returned to the room and again addressed Franky. "Itzal is probably busy at the moment. This boat house is one of the few places he doesn't watch, so I suppose I can tell you a few things."

"What happened between him and Robin?" Franky asked.

Ernest shook his head, "They share a bit of a history… Didn't she try to tell you anything before you left?"

Franky shrugged. "Maybe. But after Itzal arrived, she said that she didn't want to be with me. That she wants me to leave and never come back."

"And do you believe she really wants that?"

"I super don't."

"Was there anything else?"

"There was one thing…" Franky reached into his jacket pocket. "She left me her favourite book."

"Why would she have left you this?" Ernest pondered.

"I'm not sure…" Franky said as he flicked through the pages, "She said something about seeing how it ends…" he flipped the book to the final page, where the story concluded.

"Well what does it say?" Ernest queried, "Has she left you a message? Highlighted something? Underlined anything?"

But Franky's attention was not drawn to any of the words on the page. What caught his attention was tucked into the book's spine, and was spilling out over the page like the light of the sun through dark storm clouds. One of his smaller hands withdrew from his large palm, and lifted the red ribbon Robin had bought early in the day they'd arrived at Oculto Island.

"Interesting…" Ernest observed the strip of material, "Does this mean anything to you?"

The ribbon lay in his fingers as Franky recalled Robin's words from the night before. " _The two characters in this story are bound together by the red thread of fate,_ " she had explained, " _And although there are times they are far apart, physically or otherwise, even through conflicts and struggles, the thread is never broken. It's something that can't be broken, after all_."

Franky nodded in affirmation to Ernest's question. No sooner had he begun to say something however, his attention was diverted by an ear-splitting boom which shook the boathouse. "What?!"

The ship he was supposedly sailing away on bust into a fireball, erupting up into the sky volcanically.

Ernest looked on, his eyes widened in mild disbelief. "That kind of explosion could only have been caused by Itzal and his incubators… he just tried to kill you!"

Franky turned back to the boat keeper. There was no time to stand by in shock. "I need you to help me out, Ernest."

Ernest sighed and gave a nod. "Perhaps by assisting you, I'll be put to death and thus earn my freedom…"

"I'll get you out of here myself, no need to die over it," Franky promised, "Just tell me everything."

* * *

Robin was jammed to the spot, as though an invisible force had taken control of her being and prevented her from feeling anything at all. And it very much had.

In the background, Victorigen prattled away something Robin could not comprehend. Her gaze did not leave that place on the water. It was surreal. Her eyes widened at the sight of the cloud of smoke in the air and flaming debris on the harbour. Nothing else could penetrate her senses but an overhanging shroud of a chronic and acute despair.

_No._

A moment later, Victorigen was pulling her along again. His iron grip led her back down the spiral staircase.

_No…_

They exited into the town. It was empty, though Robin didn't take note. She felt as though her legs would slip out from beneath her, but Victorigen dragged her along at a quickening pace. She let him lead her, paying no mind to where they were headed. Only to the event that had just occurred, the explosion replaying fresh in her mind as she tried to process what had happened. But she couldn't.

Small details around them were suddenly so much louder. Small cracks in the pavement seemed like canyons, threatening to open up and consume her without any notice, although it felt as though that had already just occurred. Lengthening shadows of buildings on the street foreboded a sense that she would crushed by an enormous pressure, though it felt as if that was already happening.

A narrow, but tough-looking pipe lay idly on the pavement nearby. Robin glanced at it as they neared, something that usually wouldn't strike her attention.

Victorigen was distracted. He had her in a loose hold, confident she wouldn't be trying anything more. His voice faded in and out of her sense of hearing, though she was paying no attention to his words anyway. He hadn't taken her up there to say a silent goodbye as Franky sailed away. He'd taken her up there to demolish any sense of hope, to destroy one of the only things that could have helped her overcome the events of eleven years ago. Again, her past had caught up with her, and in a way she had only experienced in the worst of nightmares. But this was real.

She couldn't come to terms with it. Not yet. A wave of pent-up adrenaline hit her, and in an instant, Robin shook herself from Victorigen's grip and launched herself for the pipe. Quicker than he could react, she seized her chosen weapon and slammed it hard into Victorigen's chest with all her might.

Her force was enough to send the man backwards a few paces, before he caught himself, something like surprise in his eyes, which quickly turned to fury. He clearly hadn't been expecting such a move from her. "You little shit," he spoke, wiping blood away. It seemed she'd struck him mid-sentence, causing him to bite down on his own tongue.

Robin gripped the pipe firmly. She couldn't let go. She couldn't think about anything but the man before her right now and how she would bring him down, no matter what it cost her. It had already cost her more than she could ever retrieve.

She nimbly dodged Victorigen's arm as he lashed out to strike her, and made to swipe his legs out from beneath him.

However, he was quick as she was, jumping over the pipe before attempting to kick the weapon from her hands.

Robin leapt away from him, keeping a few meters distance. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to discern an opening. She attempted to bloom a pair of arms around him to snap his neck, but he was quick to grab hold of any appendage with his seastone grip, causing her to painfully recoil and dissolve the extra limbs.

Then Victorigen made a move.

Robin ducked just as a fire of bullets came her way from the cyborg's body. It seemed he had firearms embedded in his shoulders, poised to attack whenever he saw fit. Luckily for Robin, basic aim seemed to be one of the few things Victorigen was still working on perfecting, though she didn't want to risk being caught up in his barrage.

She ducked around a corner, taking the bulk of a building for shelter. But Victorigen was close behind. Robin hissed in agony as one of the bullets grazed her upper thigh, but continued at her steady pace, rounding another corner.

She leapt down behind a nearby wall for a moment to catch her breath. The blood rushing through her body was loud in her ears, and she tried to breathe as quietly as possible.

Victorigen's footsteps echoed from the other side of the wall, reverberating against the silent soundscape of the empty town.

Robin leaned her back against the wall, sticking to the lengthening shadows as the footsteps passed, her heart hammering in her chest. While she was free, she had to fight back. And she would fight with all she had.

She ran, just as Victorigen's fist smashed through the wall from behind her. Robin leapt aside, barely escaping the range of the flying rubble as it was blasted from its foundations. Once she'd escaped his immediate grasp, she turned poised to attack. She had to fight. Even if Franky was…

Another shower of bullets rained over her, and Robin had no choice but to retreat further. She ran, her feet taking her across a narrow bridge above one of the town's waterways.

The gunfire sounded from behind her, far more vigorous than before, and a moment later Robin felt herself falling, the bridge's foundations having been destroyed. She was having no luck with bridges lately…

She plummeted toward the channel below, the cold water grappling at her as she submerged. She was in the water for the briefest of moments, before a hand ensnared her by the upper arm and pulled her upwards. Coughing up a mouthful of the seawater as she was deposited unceremoniously to the narrow embankment below.

"What will the others think?" Victorigen supposed from above her after a pause, "These so-called Nakama of yours? What will they do when they find one of their Nakama has been killed because of you?"

No, she couldn't think about that now. She had to fight, if only for her other Nakama. She would stay strong for them. She would stay strong for Franky… Robin again moved faster than what he was expecting. She grabbed the pipe once more and made to attack, but Victorigen blocked the blow with his arm.

"He died because of you, Nico Robin," Victorigen maintained, "Haven't you been around long enough to realise that no one can stay with you forever? Your sinful existence is going to take its toll on all of them eventually, one way or another."

Robin retained tight hold of her weapon, but her legs gave out beneath her.

"It's already begun. No one deserves a burden like you, Nico Robin. Your existence is what killed him. It's your fault he's dead, and you're going to have to live with that thought for the small remainder of your abominable existence."

The reality of the situation struck her harder than she wanted it to at this moment, and Robin felt her bearings slacken as grief began to settle in.

Victorigen seized the moment of weakness as his opportunity. His seastone hand grabbed her by the throat and slammed her hard against the wall behind her.

Robin gasped for air as the impact pounded her body, the pipe dropping from her hold as she went entirely limp.

"Don't try escaping again," Victorigen warned, "You're going to die anyway, but your actions just might dictate what happens to those remaining Nakama of yours. Behave, if only for them."

* * *

A dry silence stilled the air when Ernest finished his recount.

Franky said nothing. No words, none of his usual loud bawling at such stories. Only cold silence as he gradually processed what he'd just been told. He remembered the day he and Robin had arrived at this place. The scar on Robin's back, how she'd mentioned someone had hurt her years ago…

" _I was nineteen, and still the slightest bit naive as it turned out. I met someone… too nice… and I was foolish_ ," Robin had explained mere days earlier, " _He was a bounty hunter who only got the best of me temporarily. He's long gone_."

Slowly and wordlessly, Franky stood and made his way back the way he'd come. As he exited the boathouse, he firmly secured the length of red ribbon around his wrist.

It was clear now. All this time, Robin had been acting distant as a means to protect him. But this man, Victorigen, hadn't died all those years ago as she had thought. Franky subconsciously tightened his clenched fist. Unlike eleven years ago however, Robin now had real Nakama. And unlike eleven years ago, Franky himself was right here.

* * *

It was growing colder.

There was a chill in the air when Robin arrived at the intended destination with Victorigen. The island's true winter climate must have been trying to take over once again as nightfall came. The cold water hadn't helped either, but Robin didn't shiver against the island's elements, nor did she betray any feeling or emotion that may have granted the former bounty hunter with any satisfaction.

He'd taken her into a large building near the town's centre. The walls were thick and they'd travelled at least four rooms into the structure. This room was large and empty, with nothing but a few chains attached to the stone walls that held up the ceiling. It must have been a dungeon, Robin figured. She wasn't sure why he'd chosen this place specifically. Maybe because it reminded him of his bounty hunting days before he'd had the misfortune of crossing paths with her.

Having finally reached their destination, Victorigen closed and locked the door behind them before turning to face her.

Robin stood in the centre of the room, unsure of what to do or say. Eventually, the words came to her. "You said he wouldn't get hurt."

"I never make promises, Robin," Victorigen stated, "That cyborg was going to die regardless, just as you will. The way it ended up happening though, we had the added benefit of him never knowing your true feelings, and not just that, your last words to him were that you didn't want to be with him! That you wanted him to leave and never come back! What do you think his last thoughts concerning you were?"

Robin felt her entire body tense at Victorigen's words. She tried to ignore him, but there was no denying what she had seen. The boat Franky had been aboard had been incinerated where it sailed. There was no surviving something like that…

"Think of it as part of my revenge strategy," Victorigen continued as he began pacing around her, "I may have been what caused him to perish, but you're the one who broke his heart and made him board that boat."

Robin tried hard not to let the statement sink in, if only to demerit Victorigen of the reaction he so desperately sought. But Franky's response to what she had said… it ended up being the very last time they interacted, and Robin had to pushed him away.

After Franky had risked his life for her when all he'd been taught of her was that she was a danger, after he'd saved her in more than just physical senses, after he'd been so kind to her until the very end… and her final action to him was to send him away. He'd died thinking she saw him as a  _nuisance_.

Robin looked down at the floor, trying desperately to maintain her passive exterior, to keep her breathing even. She couldn't cave in now. She couldn't bend to Victorigen's desires. She needed to remain strong.

"As you can imagine, I am still unsatisfied," Victorigen stated as he came to a stop directly in front of her, "Even that little event on its own. The man you love was killed and you can't even shed a tear for him! You really are as heartless a monster as they say you are." He placed a large hand on her shoulder and Robin involuntarily flinched. "Or are you hiding it away, Robin? Perhaps we should force it out of you…"

His grip on her shoulder increased to a crushing force and Robin felt as if she were gripped any tighter, her bones would snap. But still, she showed him noting.

"I've been waiting eleven years for your anguish. Don't disappoint me, my dear."

"I'm not going to give you what you want," Robin maintained flatly.

"Very well then…" Victorigen intoned placidly, allowing his fingers to trail alluringly through her hair, "I'll make sure your last few hours are hell. Forget about those 'Nakama' of yours, you'll be begging me to let you join your dear cyborg in death."

Robin located his foot by the touch of her own, and stomped down as hard as she could.

Victorigen yelped at the sudden strike of pain, but his discomfort was short-lived.

Robin was met by the back of his hand as he slammed her to the ground, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of her.

"Maybe I'll span this over a few days, for good measure," he supposed, before his boot connected with her side, sending her sprawling, "I'll elongate and enjoy your suffering as much as possible."

Robin's stomach lurched from the blow, before Victorigen kicked again. Pain shot through her entire body and she heaved, spluttering droplets of blood.

Victorigen crouched beside her and waited for her coughing to subside. "Shall we try another approach?" he queried, reaching out and grabbing Robin by the hair, "No one ever escapes the front man of the Calypso Division. All this is no more than you deserve, Nico Robin."

"You'll never get away with this," Robin stated, "When my Nakama arrive, they will  _destroy_  you."

Victorigen pulled her up by the hair, before dropping her to the ground. "'Cause I'm the bad guy, right?" he questioned, "And that's what you do to the bad guys. And maybe I am an antagonistic person, Nico Robin. I've told lies in my life. I've stolen, I've destroyed and I've betrayed, and there are a few occasions I regret. And that's where my faults lie. At my core, I'm only human."

Robin clenched her jaw to prevent from crying out as Victorigen delivered another kick to her body. She skidded across the floor, slamming into the stone wall.

"But your sin lies in just existing," his voice resonated throughout the room as the ache enveloped all her senses, "I'm doing the world a favour by taking away your life. You're a monster, Nico Robin. No one who comes into contact with you comes out unscarred, and those who pass with mere scratches are the lucky ones. It's pathetic to think that there'd be anyone out there who'd truly call you their Nakama or love you. Can't you understand that?" he stomped down hard against her midsection with each word for added emphasis, " _The moment you took your first breath, your existence had already cursed the world_! And no one is coming to save you!"

As Victorigen continued his vicious onslaught, his voice while loud and crisp as ever, seemed to fade away. All Robin could hear was a different voice. Although she knew it was only a memory, it somehow resounded much louder and more powerful than what Victorigen's did, like a shield to all the pain otherwise pulsing throughout her body.

" _No matter what weapon you hold, just existing is never a sin!"_

 _Franky…_ the name consumed her thoughts as her vision was bedimmed with unshed emotions. As everything else clouded into nothingness, Robin vaguely made out an explosion of light from somewhere in the background, and then nothing but that name remained.


	9. Breaking Walls and Burning Bridges

Franky blasted down walls as he hurried through town. There was not a person in sight, but that wasn't what was concerning him.

He had to find her. He had to find  _them._ He knew that wherever Victorigen was, Robin would be as well, and he was experiencing a nagging sensation that the pair were no longer back at the manor; Victorigen had been within close enough range to target the boat he was supposed to be on after all. Unless of course, he'd been watching via den-den mushi transmission. Watching something on the screen was a lot different to experiencing something in the flesh however, and Franky knew that given the type of man this Victorigen was, he'd have wanted to see Franky's demise with his own eyes. And he would want Robin to be there for it as well… to see her hope fade, to see despair and realisation set in, just as he would have seen all those years ago when he'd revealed his true nature to Robin after months of deceiving her…

Franky picked up his pace. He needed to show her he was okay, and make sure that  _she_ was okay, and only then could he pummel Victorigen from the plane of existence. Such an intense hatred was rare, but no stranger to Franky. It had been spent on probably only one person in his life. Until now.

He stopped as he came near the observation tower. He'd passed it a few times during his earlier visits into town. It was the tallest building on the island. Perfect, he figured, for Victorigen to have enacted his plan. A quick scout however, and Franky found the building to be empty. If they had been in here, they were gone now. Where could he search next? Time likely wasn't on his side.

He chose to follow his instincts. Securing the red ribbon around his wrist, he turned from the tower and traversed the street opposite, past a channel, and onwards. He soon reached a building near to the towns centre. He and Robin would have passed it a few days earlier, upon arriving at this place. He drew to a stop just outside. Something had led him here.

He listened. There was sound coming from the interior, only muffled. But it was enough.

He brought down the first wall with brute force, before running deeper into the structure, through the open doors. The final set of doors were closed. Franky smashed his way though, and encountered exactly what he'd been looking for.

Robin lay discarded at the base of the opposite stone wall. Victorigen stood over her prone form, his stature tense as though ready to attack. He barely had time to turn and acknowledge the new intruder when Franky made his move.

"Get away from her!" he roared, aiming the canons in his left knuckles and firing with precision.

Taken unaware, the shots caught Victorigen in the chest and sent him crashing through the wall behind him and the walls in the next two rooms after. A subsequent tremor indicated part of the ceiling had come down atop him, wherever he had fallen.

But Franky didn't concern himself in wherever the other cyborg had landed. "Robin…" he breathed, making for the motionless body across the room. He reached her side and knelt down, lifting her into an upright position.

She slumped limply against his chest, her breath even but with a slight quiver, as though one of her ribs had been cracked. Franky felt rage simmer with radiant heat beneath his artificial skin, but put it aside for the time being. His first priority was to get Robin to safety.

He gathered her into his arms and stood, turning back the way he'd come. It would not go any further than this. He'd see to that himself.

* * *

Robin slowly opened her eyes, the jostling rousing her into consciousness. A painful ache pounded throughout the side of her body as she winced, squeezing her eyes shut again and trying to make sense of the situation amidst her discomfort.

She was moving. Two large arms were holding her close as the one who carried her ran from the premises. What was going on? What was this feeling of security?

She blinked open her eyes once again, her vision slowly fading into focus.

Blue hair… loud shirt… the scent of cola…

"Franky…" she realised, blinking herself into full awareness, "You're alive!" The relief that flooded her body was so intense she felt her shoulders tremble and her body contract, as though she'd fall apart if it weren't for Franky being right here, holding her together.

"Robin! I'm okay," he confirmed, "I wasn't even aboard that boat. But what about you? You're not hurt too badly, are you? I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner."

With a soft exhale, Robin set aside the anguish of however long it had been since witnessing the boat combust (she really wasn't sure how long it had been). Her hope had returned, but their situation was still dire. She needed to explain herself and the situation to Franky, "It's Itzal," she began, "He's –"

"He's Victorigen, I know."

Robin felt confusion momentarily cloak her features at the extent of Franky's knowledge.

"Ernest filled me in on everything," Franky explained, "I know what Victorigen did to you eleven years ago, Robin," he said.

Robin felt him subconsciously cradle her closer.

"I know what happened. You don't need to explain anything. I super won't let him hurt you anymore."

Robin felt a lump form in her throat, and her hand gripped tightly to the fabric of his shirt as she leant in. "Franky…"

"Hey now…"

Before Franky could say any more, a large and furious blast from somewhere behind them announced Victorigen's return.

"I'm getting you to safety," Franky said, his pace quickening, "We can talk more once this has blown over. For now, I'm getting you away from here."

"What are you going to do?" Robin asked over the sound of a nearby building collapsing, victim of an enraged Victorigen.

Franky's eyes focused on a building further away, determined to reach it. "I'm going to kill him."

Upon reaching the building, they rounded a corner and ducked behind the structure for shelter.

Franky gently set her on the ground against the wall, remaining crouched opposite her for a moment. "Stay here," he said, his hands steady upon her shoulders as he looked her in the eyes, "I'll end this quickly…"

"Franky, he's dangerous…" Robin attempted to argue.

"Not as super dangerous as what I am right now," Franky reasoned as he stood. "You've been protecting me these past few days, haven't you?" he enquired, "How about I protect you for a bit now, eh?"

Robin glanced at him for a moment, unable to retort.

Franky took the pause as an opportunity to offer her a soft smile, before his expression hardened again upon glancing back the way they'd come. Without another word, he turned and rushed out into the would-be battle zone.

* * *

Franky rounded the corner on his way back towards the place he'd discovered Victorigen with Robin. The island's resident bounty hunter-turned governor couldn't have gone far, and Franky didn't doubt the man was in pursuit of him.

 _Well bring it,_ he thought,  _I'm ready, whether you are or not._

Ducking between the buildings, it did not take Franky long to locate the other cyborg; as anticipated, the enraged form of Victorigen wasn't hard to find.

Upon seeing him, Victorigen took on an offensive approach. His usually calm features had contorted into a grimace as he thundered his way toward Franky.

Franky dodged a pounding of bullets that were fired from the cyborg's shoulders, the unsuccessful bullets shattering the windows of the building behind him.

Victorigen prepared to fire again. His normally annoyingly perfectly placed hair and clothing was dishevelled, and Franky knew that was his own doing. "Where did you take her?" he demanded, "How are you still alive?!"

"Neither are any of your business, Victorigen," Franky said, fist clenched.

"That boat was blown to pieces! I saw to it myself. Your dear Robin saw it as well, although it took some prompting on my part for her to come to terms with it, of course. I believe I got to her in the end however."

It was almost amusing to see the man Franky had come to know as the calm and refined Governor Itzal losing his cool to such an extent. It may have humoured Franky, had he not been so enraged himself. There was only one thing he wanted to do regarding Victorigen right now. "Strong Right!"

The former bounty hunter had no time to prepare as Franky's iron fist harshly rocketed forth and connected with the side of his face.

Franky felt bones compress and break beneath his knuckles, bringing upon a certain satisfaction he'd only felt very few times in his life beforehand.

Victorigen went hurtling across what might usually have been a bustling laneway, crashing unceremoniously through the outer wall of the building opposite.

"You're going to regret ever laying a hand on her…" Franky said, flexing his hand back into place as he advanced on his opponent, "Ever going near her…"

Victorigen scrambled into an upright position from his place amongst the ruined wall. He snarled, staggering to his feet as Franky moved to strike again. This time however, he managed to dodge the attack that came his way.

"My only regret until today was letting her escape all those years ago!" he hissed, "But now I regret something else along with that. You. Bringing you to this island was nothing but a mere after thought! I should have waited until Robin was on her own! But no matter… In the end, you'll be nothing but a slight hindrance, Cyborg Franky," Victorigen seemed to regain something of his cool composure, "And then I'll find her. You can't have taken her far from here. I'll find her and start back where I left off. Perhaps I'll put a little extra effort in, drag out her pain and misery just for your sake. Let's not waste any time."

Franky anticipated the subsequent fire of bullets, managing to elude them as he did the last. It was time he took on his firearms as well. He pushed his left fist forward, utilising the set of gun barrels in his knuckles and shot at his opponent. In the weapon's recoil fire, the red ribbon around his wrist came undone. Franky barely had the time to watch as it spiralled out of his grip in the wind, unable to salvage it before defending himself in another onslaught from the other cyborg.

If only he had the Franky Shogun, Victorigen wouldn't know what hit him. But no, Franky could only use what he had.

A few of Victorigen's bullets struck him, but didn't penetrate the skin.

This battle was taking longer than he wanted. He would need to up his game if he wanted to get anywhere.

* * *

The sounds of battle were muffled by the buildings between her and the two contenders. Robin pressed herself against the wall, clutching her side as it throbbed tenderly. Any sudden movement sent an aching spasm through her ribcage, limiting her mobility somewhat.

But could she really sit here and do nothing?  _He said he could do it… I have faith in him…_  she thought.

Still, there was so much her mind was processing from the past day alone. Itzal's identity as Victorigen and the memories from eleven years ago that were associated with him… the fact he'd gotten the better of her again, and how she'd had to say those words to Franky as a result… sending Franky away, and then believing him to have been killed, only for him to return to her, to console and assure her as she stumbled over her words, that he understood all that she had gone through. It felt as though all that had burdened her during her time on Oculto had been obliterated, or was at least in the process of being so.

She curled in on herself, bringing her knees to her chest and ignoring the pain in her side. Canon fire sounded, and she couldn't tell who it belonged to. She only knew that Franky was out there fighting for her, just as he'd done in the past when she was barely more than a stranger. Her shoulders shook and she gripped herself tighter. If there was anything she could do at all to be of use to Franky, she would go through with it without a moment's hesitation.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her ears picked up the sounds of nearby footsteps. Accompanying the gunfire in the background, she figured it could be neither Franky nor Victorigen. Her hand clasped her side in effort to lessen the pain as she rose to her feet, using the wall for support, and quietly stepped into the confines of the building just as a set of people rounded the corner. Their destination seemed to be the source of the gunfire.

Robin frowned at the look of them. While Oculto housed many civilians—of whom she guessed had been taken to the other side of the island—there was no knowing how many underlings were taking direct orders from Victorigen. There were these six, at least. And based on where they were heading, Victorigen had sent for reinforcements for a one-on-one battle. This wasn't as simple a fight as Franky had thought.

Putting aside her discomfort, Robin quietly exited the building and followed them. There was something strange about the way they moved. It was almost as though they were being controlled. From what she could see, no weapons were held on their person. Were these even underlings of Victorigen's? Or just a group of civilians who had wondered over to investigate? They couldn't be; they were far too calm. Their expressions were blank and their eyes were lifeless as they wandered towards the sounds of destruction.

Robin kept up her pace and remained on full alert, ready to attack and defend if the need were to arise. After a few minutes, they were near the battle. Robin could smell the gunpowder in the air and hear the brawling sounds of what must have been a close fight.

Rounding a corner behind the group of people she noticed Franky skid into view, firing rockets from his shoulders. It seemed as though he'd taken a few hits, but it would take a lot more to bring him down entirely. Although the same could probably be said for Victorigen.

"Now!" Victorigen's voice shouted, and the group of people suddenly broke into a run, infiltrating the open space in which Franky and Victorigen had been fighting.

Clearly, Franky had not expected the sudden troop of ambushers. Yet simultaneously, they had not expected Robin.

She flicked her wrist and the one nearest to Franky was bawled over by a massive hand that had materialised. It proceeded to knock down another of the human-like beings, sending them sprawling. It probably wouldn't be enough to put them out of action, but while they struggled themselves upright, Robin disabled another pair with a simple  _clutch._ They were vulnerable to all the attacks that could take down normal humans, so it seemed.

"Robin…" Franky realised before taking down the remaining, sending them flying with a  _Strong Right._

"Well well, look who decided to join us," Victorigen observed as Robin stepped into his view.

"I thought I could be of use," she said, taking her stance beside Franky.

"I'd rather you didn't push yourself," Franky said, disapproval evident in his voice, "You're not exactly bullet-proof."

"You're not indestructible either," Robin said, "We don't know what else this man has planned. So let's protect each other."

Franky frowned but nodded, his eyes set on Victorigen.

However, the other cyborg was not finished with his subordinates. More of the strange people were coming, surrounding the Franky and Robin from all directions.

Robin stood with her back to Franky's, arms poised to fend them off with any warning.

"What do you think of my subordinates?" Victorigen questioned the pair, "These were once normal people, you know. They fell for my charm much like you did, Robin, only they weren't so lucky to escape. I was able to preserve them and then modify them into robots-like beings. Of course they're a lot more destructible, but it has been an interesting experiment nonetheless. They live about the town participating in mundane events from day to day, but what they're made for is battle. How will the two of you do against a mass of them, I wonder…" he contemplated.

From the surrounding buildings more of them emerged, before Robin gave up on hope of counting them.

"What a cowardly tactic…" Franky muttered, "Getting these guys to do his dirty work for him."

"He was never one to fight his own battles now that I think about it…" Robin recalled.

"It doesn't matter," Franky said, his stance ready to fight back, "There might be a lot of them, but they're weak.

Robin looked out at the crowd before her. Franky had known something was off about some of the townspeople from the start. He hadn't observed them close enough to deduce what they truly were, but now, with so many of them around, what they were exactly would be far more apparent. Not that it helped their situation much at all.

Furthermore, Victorigen seemed to have harnessed plans for his subordinates. "Destroy the cyborg!" he ordered, "Bring me Nico Robin!"

"That super isn't going to happen!" Franky retorted.

What followed was a fleeting battle Robin could barely comprehend. Victorigen's modified subordinates weren't able to reach closer than a few meters from her. And she made sure the same would be the case for Franky. Giant hands swatted and giant feet stomped. Robin did all she could to stop the subordinates from advancing further upon them.

A few of them had been fitted with in-built guns. Franky made them his priority, sending them crashing into buildings before they could do damage to himself or Robin. Before long, the crowd was already thinning.

"Can you hear that?" Franky asked her over the noise.

"Hear what?"

"Never mind, you probably can't place it. There's a buzzing somewhere around their bodies, indicating flaws in their construction."

"I know almost nothing about cyborg technologies," Robin said.

"It's time you learned a few basics," Franky informed her as he fired another round of bullets, "Some of it is super simple. He's mass-produced these guys. They might look different from one another, but none of them are unique on the inside. They all have the same weak point. It's a set of gears down where their inner organs once would have been. Aim for that area."

"Alright," Robin began using clutch technique on the surrounding subordinates, noticing the way the satisfying  _crack_  seemed a lot more effective than the whacking and stomping from earlier.

Finally, only one last group of the subordinates remained. Robin stood beside Franky and exchanged a quick eye contact.

"Together!" Franky muttered.

Robin nodded, and they attacked simultaneously, their combined attack disabling the majority of remaining subordinates at once. A cloud of dust and gunpowder seemed to have accumulated in the sky above them, churning overhead threateningly.

"Great help you all were," Victorigen growled eventually, taking down the final few, "Want something done, you've got to do it yourself…"

Franky situated himself firmly between Robin and their only remaining threat, who glanced out at the two of them, observing how they'd taken down all his subordinates.

"Well then," Victorigen said, "It seems we've come full circle. Well… almost full circle," he corrected himself, "Once I destroy this nuisance of a cyborg, we'll be right back where we started, Nico Robin. Think of this encounter as an unfortunate yet momentary hindrance. In fact—"

Before Victorigen could continue his premature gloating, a giant hand bloomed from the ground and slapped, causing him to plummet through the air momentarily and into a building. Robin panted slightly, releasing her stance and straightening upright.

"That was super, Robin!" Franky congratulated, giving her a thumbs up.

Robin found herself smiling through her anger at Victorigen's words, before fatigue began to settle in. A fresh sensation of pain swathed her side and she hissed as her hand clutched the wound to lessen the pain.

Franky drew closer to her, mild concern evident in his stance. "This won't take much longer," he said, his hand brushing her shoulder, "I promise."

"Damn right it won't take much longer!" Victorigen bellowed as he smashed back through the wall he'd been sent into. He aimed the canons in his shoulders, firing immediately.

Robin felt Franky's hand suddenly on her waist as he leapt the two of them out of the attack's destructive range. She clung to him tightly as they landed, his right hand still secure on her waist as his left began to fire a seemingly infinite supply of arsenal at their attacker.

Her hair whipped in her face from the battle's intensity, the gunfire ringing loud in her ears.

"Tell me, what do you gain from protecting that sinful woman?" Victorigen's voice questioned above the onslaught.

Franky pushed her behind him. "Stand back, Robin," he said, "I don't want you to be caught up in this."

"That's rich coming from you," Victorigen noted, "You don't want Robin to become involved in a fight that was birthed of  _your_ intervention in an exchange between her and I? What precisely have you done here?  _You_ should be the one not getting caught up in this."

Robin found herself stepping back and leaning against the fall again for support, though remained wary of the battle in front of her.

"Why, Cyborg Franky? What has this woman done for you? What have  _you_  done to earn the right to intervene?"

"This isn't about what I've done," Franky said, firing another attack, "It's about what you've done. It's about what you did to Robin all those years ago."

Victorigen grit his teeth and glared, fending off Franky's attack.

"I don't care if it happened today or eleven years ago," Franky continued, "You hurt the woman I love. There doesn't need to be another reason."

Robin looked on as the two cyborgs clashed in a bombardment of arsenal, keeping her distance from the dangerous exchange.

Victorigen seemed somewhat dumbfounded. "'The woman you love'?" he scorned, "Not Nico Robin, surely. Only a mad man would fall for her."

"Then I must be out of my mind…" Franky muttered, " _Radical Beam!"_

Wind from the blast rushed back over Robin at full force, and she clung to the wall. The bright flash from the beam pummelled Victorigen, sending him sprawling once again into one of the nearby buildings, which crumbled under the intensity of the attack.

There was a moment of quietness. Robin was on the verge of wondering if their enemy were defeated, before he emerged from the rubble, a killing intent raging at full force.

But then something odd happened. Robin looked away as a blinding light arose from within Victorigen's body. At first she thought it was some sort of attack he was harnessing, but then she discovered otherwise.

"Damnit!" the cyborg cursed, distressed by the impromptu malfunction, much like eleven years earlier, "Why, at a time like this?!"

Robin narrowed her eyes to see what appeared to be a series of small detonations occurring within his body. "…What's happening to him?" she wondered.

Franky looked on at the scene, a hint of recognition in his eyes. "When you build your body internally, you have to be careful," he explained as though instructing a class full of young, newly-developed cyborgs. "If you miscalculate or don't make time for regular maintenance, accidents can happen."

"So in other words…"

"You can become the ultimate weapon against yourself."

* * *

Franky watched as Victorigen fell, defeated by his own modified body. Despite his enemy's oncoming demise, he maintained preparation of the weaponry in his left arm.

Victorigen hit the ground with a dull thud, his body internally combusting at odd intervals, before silencing, leaving nothing but his rasping breath. He was clearly still alive, but for how much longer was uncertain. Even if Franky were to simply walk away right now, Victorigen would surely succumb to his injuries eventually; they were internal after all, and there was only so much more the man could do to implement cyborg technologies on the inside.

Franky prepared himself to end the man's life once and for all. He was already near death. It would be super easy. He thought of what this man had done to Robin… What would Robin have felt those eleven years ago, the moment she realised the truth about this man and his comrades? Franky couldn't bring himself to imagine the loneliness Robin had endured in her time, much less how Victorigen would have shattered whatever small hope she would still have harboured back then.

What had Robin felt just today when she'd thought Franky had died at this man's hand? When all that unresolved pain and despair from eleven years prior had resurfaced? Franky was about to fire when a smaller hand clasped over his arm, stopping him. He glanced down, his gaze softening when he discovered Robin at his side.

Despite a noticeable tremble in her stance—it seemed she was pushing herself just to have walked over to him—her stare was cold and without remorse as it looked down upon the broken shell of a man before her. "Don't," she said to Franky, "He isn't worth it."

Franky nodded his understanding and slowly lowered his arm. It was tough fighting off the urge of every muscle in his body to obliterate the man from existence, but one look at Robin, and Franky was willing to go through with whatever she asked of him.

He was about to say something to her, when an unexpected murmuring came from the near-dead cyborg. "It's been two hours…" Victorigen smirked weakly, reaching for the dial on his arm and pressing down.

Franky's eyes widened.  _Shit…_  With no time to think things through, he scooped Robin into his arms and ran for cover at the fastest pace he could manage.

The detonation that surged in the next few seconds was vast in size, and only promised to grow larger.

Franky grit his teeth and pushed himself to run faster. That bastard knew he was done for, and wanted to take the two of them down with them in a last moment opportunity. But Franky refused to let him have his way. He felt the heat on his back before the initial shockwave caught up with them, sending them momentarily flying with the debris the blast had so far managed to collect.

Buildings behind them, closer to the epicentre creaked on their foundations, sure to give way. They needed to get to shelter, and quickly. This was more than just a single explosion. This would be like a storm, just like the event that brought them here to begin with.

Robin shifted in his arms. "Observation tower…" he heard her say, "There's a passage underground…"

"Got it," he responded, noting the tower was not far ahead of them now.

Upon reaching it, Franky ducked inside and quickly located the hatch into the passage. He used a free hand to pull up the door, jumping down into the pit as he did so, and pulling it shut over them. He then took a few paces into the passageway, keeping distance from the hatch in the case it were to cave in. It was dark down here, save for a few relatively dim lights that Franky vaguely wondered how long would last.

Above them, the explosions were becoming more frequent. It seemed as though the initial blast had set off a whole series of them. Rumbling tremors shook the passageway. Buildings were crumbling above them. The walls of the passageway were sturdy and Franky trusted them not to collapse. It wasn't like there was much else he could do it their current situation. Kneeling down, he cradled Robin close and waited for the storm of explosions to pass.

After a few minutes, everything was silent. Franky straightened up, now noting the passage's ceiling was barely much higher from the ground than he. He glanced at Robin, her focus anxiously edging up towards the place they'd run from, "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Are you?"

"I'm super alright," he replied as he set her on her feet. He proceeded to head towards the exit and ascended the first rung of the ladder that led out. He pushed upwards on the hatch, which (sure enough) didn't budge. He'd need a lot more force to get it open. "Stand back, Robin," he instructed.

Robin took a number of paces back, and Franky positioned himself a little away from the door, raising his left hand and aiming.

" _Coup de Vent_!"

A large burst of air beamed from the palm of his hand. The hatch was blasted off its hinges, along with all the debris atop it, permitting cool night air to spill down into the passageway from above. Evidentially, the walls of the observation tower had been demolished.

Franky lowered his arm. He could really use a few bottles of cola right now. But that would have to wait. He reached a hand out to Robin and she approached, allowing him to help her ascend the ladder and climb out into the open air.

Carnage. Nothing in the town had been spared from extensive damage. The buildings were flattened and rubble was widespread and seemingly infinite. About half a dozen spot fires were scattered about the town's wreckage, promising to burn away anything that remained if left untended.

Simultaneously, the pair looked out to where the initial explosion had occurred. Undoubtedly, they were both thinking the same thing; at such close quarters, there was no way Victorigen wouldn't have been caught up in his own explosion.

Franky glanced down at Robin, who had begun slowly making her way back the way they'd come. Obviously she wanted to assess the damage. It wouldn't be over until they did.

* * *

The sky was a dark grey and the air smelled of gunpowder. Light debris fell like snow as Robin picked her way through the ruined town,

If Victorigen was dead—which he almost certainly was—she wanted to see. She wanted to be sure this time. She trod carefully, covering the ground at a steady pace and shivering slightly in the dusk air. She had no idea how late in the night it was, only that it had not become dark enough for her visibility to be reduced greatly. Perhaps tonight wasn't so dark a night.

It was silent. The soundscape was a far cry from the raging battleground that had been in action only minutes earlier. Now the only sounds she could her were her own footsteps against the soiled pavement of the once immaculate town, as well as Franky's somewhere behind her. A soft breeze funnelled through the foundations of the buildings, or at least what stood of them. The atmosphere set by the lightly falling ash seemed rather alien, in a way Robin couldn't relax. Loudest of all the sounds however, was her heart beating in her chest. She was unsure of why it raced as it did. Perhaps it was still caught up in the adrenaline of battle. Or maybe it was just trying to keep up with her actions. No matter, she wouldn't stop until she'd found what she was looking for.

A few moments passed as she and Franky edged nearer to the point of detonation. They had to be close now. Victorigen, or whatever remained of him, had to be somewhere around here.

After another short moment, Robin drew to an immediate halt. There was movement at the edge of her peripheral vision. Heaving in the rubble. She turned her head, and found exactly what she'd been looking for.

Victorigen lay amongst the wreckage, his once pale skin now blackened to charcoal. He seemed to be missing a limb or two, and his body had been pounded with an extent of injuries, notably a large piece of debris that had wedged itself in his gut, impaling him all the way through. It was the sound of his breath that was most noticeable, however. Loud and rattling, rasping. _Somehow_  he was still alive. But death would be certain. At this rate, it would also be slow and painful.

Robin took a few steps nearer, vaguely aware of Franky trailing close behind. She regarded the man through her narrowed gaze. This man she'd once fallen for, only to find he'd been playing a cruel game the entire time. This was the man her younger self had been convinced she'd owed her life to, only for him to try and claim that life. This man, who'd caused her to live a six-month lie, of a life she only ever could have dreamed of at the time, only to take away all those warm memories and then some. This man who'd taken away any ounce of trust a younger Robin may once have still harboured and left her an empty shell until she'd encountered her true Nakama, who she'd been convinced had perished all those years ago, only for him to return again and pose threat to her crewmates, to Franky…

He was before her right now, defenceless as she once had been, and injured beyond repair. A victim of his own revenge

Robin closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, softly inhaling the cool breeze for a moment as it ruffled through her hair. She opened her eyes, taking in the form of the man before her one last time. " _Seis Fleur_ ," she whispered softly.

Arms sprouted along the man's wrecked body. He made no attempt to swat them away.

" _Clutch._ "

With an audible  _crack,_ Victorigen's body went entirely limp. The strained rise and fall of his chest weakened to a complete stop, as though he'd been deflated of air. The whites of his eyes faded into an endlessly vacant stare, unblinking as it gazed out into nothingness.

Robin remained in position, her breath heavy. She felt Franky's eyes upon her, carefully watching from behind as her focus remained fixated on the form before her. Eventually, her arms flopped to her side and she let her stance relax.

Victorigen was dead.

A heavy weight seemed to lift off her shoulders, yet simultaneously the reality of all that had been burdening her hit back at full force. In her relaxed stance she stumbled, but Franky was beside her instantly. His hands secured her by the upper arms and she steadied herself, her hands clinging atop his for support, before she slowly looked up into his soothing eyes.

He returned her gaze, a mix of gentle concern and relief reflected.

The walls were coming down. Robin couldn't hide from him anymore. She didn't need to. She couldn't tell if her heart was beating faster or slower or somehow both. Only that Franky was here, his large hands over her trembling shoulders assuring her that all was okay. Finally, she allowed herself to lean into that touch, and once she did the tears that had been threatening to surface began to spill uncontrollably.

But Franky's arms encircled her protectively, offering a comfort she never wanted to leave, holding her close as she relinquished pain from the past few days and eleven years earlier. There was nothing to hold back. Franky was there, holding her. And right now, that was all she needed.


	10. Home

He'd been fourteen years old when he'd first noticed her.

The little girl on the freshly-pressed bounty poster was a danger to the world, so the accompanying article had said. The young Franky had looked at the poster only for an instant the first time, briefly wondering about the story behind the girl's sad brown eyes, before hurrying back to his day's work.

He was thirty-six years old when he realised he'd lost count of the number of times he'd laid eyes on her. And the number of times she'd taken his breath away.

The young woman in his arms seemed small and vulnerable, though she'd long since proven she could hold out on her own. Even so, Franky could not help but feel that familiar wave of protectiveness from so long ago as he watched Robin's exhausted slumber. This time was entirely different, however.

There'd been more than a story behind those eyes, so Franky had come to discover. There was a story that was still being written, and he just so happened to be a part of it. Strange, how life could work out in the most unexpected of ways.

The island around them was in ruin. Victorigen's final detonation had levelled nearly everything to the ground, leaving it to smoulder. As such, Franky had moved himself and Robin down to the seaside where the air was clearer, and the body of the other cyborg was out of sight and mind.

There was an ethereal sort of quiet in the air now. Ash had been falling from the sky for the past few hours, and now danced wisp-like in the first streaks of light from the rising sun, giving the land and ocean around them an air of otherworldliness.

Robin stirred in his arms. "Franky…" she muttered softly.

"I'm here," he responded, giving her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

She strained her eyes open and smiled, exhaustion apparent in her features. Damn she was beautiful, even in the aftermath of a battle. She slowly reached up with her much smaller hand, her fingers tenderly brushing the side of his face. There was a very slight trace of urgency mingled in her relaxed features, as though there was something she needed to tell him.

"What I said back then…" she began, "Back in the common room… it wasn't true…"

"Of course it wasn't," Franky responded, "I said before that you don't need to explain—"

"What I said was the opposite of true."

"Robin, you'll feel more super if you just rest…"

"Because I  _do_  want to be with you."

Franky silenced himself for a moment and Robin's features relaxed.

"In fact… I'd like to be with you, very much."

"Robin…"

"The truth is…" she began, "Franky, I…" her words escaped her and she couldn't quite catch them, causing her sentence to trail off into nothing.

Noting that her attention had somehow been diverted to something above them, Franky followed her new line of sight.

There was something red drifting down amongst the ashes from the sky above. It swirled patterns in the slight breeze, floating towards the sand, the sunlight catching on the particles of dust around it, reflecting a slight shimmer. She reached her hand out to catch it, and Franky did the same.

The fine strip of material had been unharmed by the carnage of battle, having been swept high above the furious storm. Only now had it descended to the ground below, and right into their hands.

"The ribbon…" Franky realised.

"It didn't break…" Robin observed. Her eyes lingered for a moment, but then seemed to lose interest in the narrow piece of fabric almost as quickly as they'd gained it. They now fixed their sight on a new subject.

Franky returned her gaze, his hand held with hers and intertwined with the ribbon, like only two nights prior.

Their wordless exchange was all that needed to transpire.

Robin reached up with her free hand, resting it upon his shoulder. She pulled herself upright so that their eyes were level, Franky's hand secured around her waist, holding her in place. And then, slowly, her lips brushed against his own. Softly at first. But then once again, with more intensity.

Just as Franky was thinking that it would last longer, Robin drew back. Her breath was heavy and he briefly wondered if she were crying again.

When she next leaned in a few moments later, instead of continuing, she simply wrapped her arms around him as best she could, her head resting in the curve of his neck.

Her body trembled slightly, but Franky gently kissed the top of her head and rubbed smooth circles into her back. Her hold on him tightened all the more, her grip on the back of his shirt desperate.

Careful not to disturb her injuries, Franky returned the embrace. It didn't matter it she was crying right now or not. He was here for her. And he held her with everything he had.

* * *

It must have been close to another hour that passed before anything else occurred.

Franky was beginning to contemplate his next actions, when all immediate problems were solved on the spot. As the sun gained height in the sky, its rays illuminated the sails of his dreamship. It had never been a more welcome sight.

"Well look who's here," he said with a grin.

Robin shifted in his lap, glancing over to see the Thousand Sunny sailing toward them. Franky could almost feel the gladness that filtered through her body, just as it did his own.

"Let's go and meet them," he prompted, "Are you alright to walk?"

Robin nodded, eager to reunite with their Nakama. "I should be."

Franky helped her to her feet gradually, noting by her movements that the potentially-cracked rib must have been causing her pain. But Robin was determined, and he would help her as best he could.

No sooner had the ship anchored in the shallows, the Mini Merry exited the docking system, coming towards the shore at a rapid speed.

Franky helped Robin hobble across the beach, steadying her as they slowly crossed the sand to meet with their crewmates.

"Franky! Robin!" Usopp's voice coasted over to them as they approached the shore. The snipper jumped overboard the Mini Merry before it even reached dry sand and hurriedly waded through the shallows in his hurry to reach his Nakama, "Are you alright? What the hell happened?! We heard you got involved with a bad guy! Are you either of you hurt?"

From the small boat's steering wheel, Nami looked on in concern. Chopper watched from the passenger seat, his hooves clutching his backpack tightly, prepared to use the medical supplies inside if need be. Nearby, the others watched from aboard the Sunny, looking as though they were ready to disembark for battle at any queue.

Usopp intersected with them a moment later, and Robin smiled weakly as she briefly reached out and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "It's all okay," she assured, "It's over. We won."

"Robin…"

She winced and withdrew her hand, her body collapsing against Franky's for support.

Franky lifted her and began for the Mini Merry. "I'll explain what happened later," he said, "She's hurt. She needs Chopper's attention."

"R-right! Let's get you both back to the Sunny."

Franky clambered aboard the Mini Merry, where Chopper began his assessment right away.

Robin's smile didn't fade. "We missed all of you," she said, softly caressing the doctor's fur as he began gently prodding her side with a hoof. She hissed slightly at the touch.

"We missed you too," Nami said as she steered them back in the direction of the Sunny, her relief evident, "Though you both owe us some sort of explanation later."

Franky felt Robin gradually lax against him, the assurance of being so close to the Sunny calming her all the more. The cool morning breeze billowed at her hair as they sped back towards home.

* * *

Robin was unsure of how much time had passed since they'd returned to the Sunny. Not that it mattered too much. She'd spent most of the time asleep and had awoken the first time to find Chopper had carefully bandaged her midsection, confirming her suspicion of a broken rib. That aside, the past few days on Oculto had taken a lot out of her, in near every meaning of the phrase.

All in all, the current arrangement wasn't so terrible; there was nothing stopping her from moving about, and under such treatment, Robin expected she'd be back to her normal range of movement in no time. In fact, right now she wasn't even in the infirmary.

She was sitting at the bench in the galley, a steaming mug of her favourite coffee in hand. Tonight had been her first dinner with the others since before Oculto, and she'd enjoyed every moment of it. The crew were as rowdy as always, of course. From what Robin could gather, they had run into a small spot of their own trouble while separated from their shipwright and archaeologist, but it had all cleared up without any additional problems. At any rate, it hadn't worn them down as Robin's encounter had.

Earlier, Brook had played an upbeat tune on violin to call them all to dinner, as Sanji had served up one of her favourite meals, fussing over her all the while. Nami had been quick to seat herself next to Robin, not hiding her gladness in being rejoined by the crew's only other female. Zoro had cracked open a new bottle of sake, of which he offered Robin a glass. She'd politely declined, although Usopp had offered to have the glass for her. Chopper, who'd seated himself at Robin's other side, had taken to leaning against her when he could, and Luffy had been only too happy to finish off whatever food she couldn't eat.

She and Franky did not speak directly to one another over the course of the meal, but the eye contact shared as they laughed along with their Nakama deeper into the night said enough words for the both of them.

And now late in the night, when all the dinner dishes were stacked away, Robin closed her eyes in quiet bliss. This was home. The feel of the timber against her bare feet… the faint smell of Adam's Wood, almost like pine… and, of course, the ongoing buzzing ambience of her crewmates around her. Opening her eyes again, she swivelled around in her seat to observe the unfolding chaos of her friends' various interactions, all still within the galley.

Franky was entertaining Luffy and Usopp with one of his latest inventions. Robin couldn't tell what it was, but the delighted sounds coming from the two younger crewmates suggested something 'super cool'. She'd have to ask Franky to show it to her later. Brook was having a conversation of some sort with Nami. Though the two were of entirely separate intellects, they could easily carry out a thorough discussion, which surprisingly didn't always end with a panty-related question. Just in front of her, Sanji and Zoro argued about something dumb. Robin smiled to herself, knowing that this, like all other exchanges between her Nakama, was just another extension of affection.

Robin decided she would contribute her own extension of affection. She didn't outwardly express it often; there was not usually any need to. But she found it was important to show these feelings on occasion; when it boiled down to it, she really didn't need a reason.

She carefully placed her drink on the bench behind her and stood to her feet. The swordsman, doctor and cook were nearest. Chopper had perched himself on Zoro's shoulder, to which the swordsman seemed rather nonchalant about. As she approached, Zoro and Sanji continued to argue over whatever forgettable dispute they'd most recently gotten themselves into. Once she reached them, she gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders. It was enough to disrupt their banter.

"Robin-chan?" Sanji queried.

Robin smiled openly, and in one gentle movement she pulled them both, and Chopper, tightly into her arms.

Although the swordsman and cook made sounds of discomfort and protest (though Sanji seemed more conflicted than anything else), they made no move to refrain the embrace.

Robin glanced up, noticing the puzzled expressions on some of her other crewmates' faces, before her eyes caught Franky's in a silent exchange.

He understood. Grinning, he already knew what to do. "Super come here, all of you!" he beckoned, his large arms reaching out and engulfing all their remaining crewmates at once, conjoining them with Robin's initial group huddle.

Robin made use of her power to sprout the extra limbs needed to ensure that everyone would be included.

While Luffy had little idea of what was going on, he took care of the rest. His rubber arms reached around and encircled the entire crew, pulling them all in tightly.

Robin found herself squashed in amongst the warmth of her Nakama, and although it may have caused her injuries to ache a small bit, the comforting sensation of being so close to all the people she loved was far stronger.

"You two are so weird!" Nami's voice came from somewhere within the jumble, her voice full of laughter.

Robin's smile widened. Her true Nakama were right here. Saul  _had_ been right all those years ago, and although it had been a long twenty years adrift, they had all been worth the wait.

* * *

A few days went by and everything returned to normality.

Franky had barely seen Robin one on one since leaving Oculto; with Chopper's frequent checkups and the constant company of the rest of the crew all glad to be rejoined with their archaeologist and shipwright, it was difficult to get time alone with anyone. Not that Franky minded this in the least, of course. He was just as glad to be reunited with the rest of the crew as they were with he and Robin.

It had been Ernest who had alerted the crew of his and Robin's whereabouts. The keeper of the boathouse had focussed all his efforts on contacting the Straw Hat pirates as soon as he'd finished his conversation with Franky. Upon learning the news, the crew had wasted no time in rushing to the assistance of their missing Nakama.

Oculto's occupants had mostly been deceased associates and victims of Victorigen's, and the ones who weren't were now free of his reign. From what Franky had heard through corresponding with Ernest, many had chosen to make a new life on Tanium or continue their journeys on the sea. It was good to know that they'd be doing well, at least. Franky wished them all the best.

It was one afternoon nearly a week after being rescued from the decimated island that Franky discovered Robin sitting on the deck, flicking through the last pages of  _The Red Thread_. Usually, it would have taken her far less time to read through a novel, but he supposed she'd been too preoccupied with other matters over the previous week and a half to be partaking in pleasure reading.

He chose to sit nearby her, and perhaps strike up a conversation once she'd finished.

Just as he was deciding how he would word his opening remark, Robin beat him to it. "Franky…" she began, her eyes not leaving her book.

Franky found himself put almost in the spot, but replied as smoothly as he could. "Yes?"

"The other week, you asked me a question," Robin recounted, "I never got around to answering it."

"What question?" Franky asked.

The corners of Robin's mouth stretched upwards slightly, but her eyes did not leave the book. "Would I ever date a cyborg…" she pondered out loud as she turned to the final page.

"Oh…" He'd completely forgotten about that. Nonetheless, the question was as valid as ever. "Well… uhh, would you?"

"Before I answer, there's something I need to ask you."

"And what's that?"

Robin's lips curled into a more distinct smile and she finally looked up from the book. "Would you ever date an archaeologist?"

Franky paused as he processed the implications of her question, before smiling broadly. "I super would!"

Robin's responding smile was again softer, though her eyes showed a genuine content. "There you go," she said, snapping the book shut, "You have your answer."


End file.
